Bengal Battle: Humayun Kabir’s Babri Masjid pitch puts Mamata’s Muslim vote bank to test

Humayun Kabir, a suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA who came to the political limelight after he announced his decision to build Babri Masjid in Murshidabad, has turned out to be a much talked-about political figure in this year’s Assembly election in West Bengal.

The focus on Kabir is not only because of his claim to build a mosque as a replica of the 1992 demolished structure in Ayodhya, but because he is widely seen in political circles as a key player in BJP’s strategy to break TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s Muslim vote bank.

Mamata, a three-time Chief Minister, is seeking a record fourth term in office but BJP, a contender itself to come to power in Bengal, is making an all-out-effort to scuttle TMC chief’s ambition.

Mamata’s past victories have been based on total support from the Muslim and women voters in West Bengal. BJP is desperate to break both her vote banks. Murshidabad goes to poll on April 23.

The 2011 census found 27 per cent of the state’s population to be Muslim, which is now estimated to have reached about 30 per cent.

Murshidabad and Malda are among the districts where the Muslim population is said to be nearly 70 per cent. Winning these districts has become extremely important for Mamata in this year’s tight contest.

In the 2021 Assembly election, TMC had won 20 of the 22 seats in Murshidabad with BJP winning two. Similarly, Mamata’s party had also won 8 of the 12 seats in Malda and BJP picked up the remaining four seats.

Whether TMC will be able to win a similar number of seats from the two districts in this year’s Assembly election remains a matter of intense debate in political circles.

Humayun has floated his own political outfit — the Aam Janata Unnayan Party. Since the beginning of this year, he has been meeting other Muslim leaders in the state to form a joint united Muslim front. His efforts had met with limited success, as had Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). However, the Indian Secular Front of Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif and his brother Nawsad Siddiqui, the lone MLA of the party, stayed out of his alliance.

Humayun ran into a controversy recently when a video surfaced that showed him claiming to have received Rs 1,000 crore from BJP to defeat TMC. Though the video was questionable, as a coalition partner, AIMIM decided to part ways after it came into the public domain.

Humayun has since been going to court to take action against the TMC leadership for its attempt to tarnish his image. But beyond AIMIM breaking its alliance with Kabir’s party, the video did not have a long-lasting and wider impact.

“A politician receiving money is no longer a shock to people. In the past decade, corruption has been so institutionalised that no one expects a politician to do any work without demanding money for his effort,” said a political observer in the district.

Humayun also has the reputation of frequently changing his political affiliation.

But despite being a controversial figure, he remains a son of the soil in a district dominated by an extremely poor Muslim population.

His proposed mosque has led to a regular stream of Muslim visitors from the district and beyond. A large number of poor Muslim peasants and ‘bidi’ factory workers have contributed for the mosque Humayun is building.

How much of that support translates into votes in favour of Humayun’s party in Murshidabad and other districts of West Bengal will play an important role in this Assembly election.