The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday suspended its Debra MLA Humayun Kabir after he sparked controversy by declaring that he would construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. The party leadership stated that Kabir had been cautioned earlier but chose to ignore the warning.

Kabir had recently announced that on December 6—the anniversary of the demolition of the original Babri Masjid in Ayodhya—he intended to lay the foundation stone for a replica structure in Beldanga, claiming the project would be completed within three months. The statement triggered political backlash and internal disapproval.

Senior TMC leader and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, speaking to ANI, said, “We noticed that one of our MLAs from Murshidabad suddenly declared that he would build the Babri Masjid. Why suddenly Babri Masjid? We already warned him. As per the decision of our party, TMC, we are suspending MLA Humayun Kabir.”

Shortly after being suspended, Kabir declared that he would resign from the party and launch a new political outfit next month. He told ANI, “I will resign from TMC tomorrow. If required, I will announce a new party on December 22. We will contest 135 seats in next year’s assembly elections.”

Kabir’s remarks provided political ammunition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the TMC of indulging in appeasement and vote-bank politics ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The BJP further alleged that the ruling party was extending support to Bangladeshi infiltrators.

The CPI(M) also criticised the episode, saying Kabir’s comments highlighted the TMC’s “ideological fluidity” and lack of consistency in policy positions.