Banerjee slams Kabir, BJP for 'temple-mosque' politics in Bengal

TMC's Abhishek Banerjee criticised suspended leader Humayun Kabir and the BJP for engaging in 'temple-mosque' politics. He also condemned the death of a Tripura student and slammed the Election Commission as a 'WhatsApp Commission'.

Banerjee Slams 'Temple-Mosque' Politics

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday took a dig at Jan Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir, who had earlier joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that "demolished the mosque". He said that there was no difference between Kabir and the BJP since they play politics over the "temple mosque" issue. The TMC recently suspended Humayun Kabir after he announced to build a mosque in the name of Babur in Murshidabad early this month.

"Where is this (Babri Masjid) being built? I don't see any construction starting. If they want to play politics over the temple and mosque issue, what's the difference between them and the BJP? The BJP played politics over building a temple, and they are playing politics over building a mosque," Banerjee said while addressing a press conference here.

"Humayun Kabir is a former BJP candidate. The Babri Masjid incident happened in 1992, but he didn't understand this for 27 years and joined the BJP, which demolished the mosque," he added.

Although everyone has the right to build a religious place, they shouldn't bring politics into it, Banerjee said. "Everyone has the right to build a religious place, but they shouldn't bring politics into it. If you are in politics, then build hospitals and schools instead," he added.

Criticism of BJP Govts Over Student's Death

When asked to comment on the death of a Tripura student in Uttarakhand, Banerjee said, "We all should condemn it, but neither the CM of Tripura nor of Uttarakhand has given statements on this. Both states have double-engine governments. This shows the kind of politics the BJP plays."

TMC Leader Calls ECI 'WhatsApp Commission'

Abhishek Banerjee also called the Election Commission of India (ECI) a "WhatsApp Commission" and demanded that the constitutional body should apologise to the people of West Bengal, claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive was to "harass" the state. He also highlighted the reported deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the SIR exercise. The draft voters' list in West Bengal was published under SIR last week.

"During the SIR, 45 people lost their lives, and six were hospitalised. 29 BLOs (Booth Level Officers) attempted suicide. We asked the EC (Election Commission) five basic questions. But we didn't get a single answer from the EC. The EC told the media that they had given the answers," Banerjee said. .

West Bengal Political Landscape

West Bengal is expected to hold legislative assembly polls in March-April 2026. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the TMC-led alliance won 215 of the 294 seats with the Congress and CPI(M) drawing blank, while the BJP secured 77 seats, emerging as the principal opposition. (ANI)

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