AIMIM rules out any tie-up with suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's proposed outfit

Kolkata, Dec 8 (PTI) The AIMIM on Monday ruled out any electoral understanding with suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir, dismissing his overtures as "politically suspect and ideologically incompatible", days after his controversial mosque foundation ceremony in West Bengal's Murshidabad district.

AIMIM national spokesperson Syed Asim Waqar said Kabir was widely perceived as being politically aligned with senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and, by extension, the party's central leadership.

"From whatever information is available in the public domain, Kabir is seen as part of Adhikari's political ecosystem. And it is common knowledge that Adhikari functions within the core strategic structure of the BJP leadership at the national level," Waqar said in a statement.

He asserted that the Muslim community does not subscribe to politics driven by disruption or provocation.

"The Muslim community believes in building the nation, not breaking it. It stands with forces that strengthen the country and rejects those who thrive on creating unrest and division," the AIMIM leader said.

Referring to party chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Waqar said, "Owaisi sahab's politics is rooted in constitutional values, peace and social harmony. He cannot be associated with anyone whose actions endanger unity, deepen societal fault lines or promote the politics of destruction".

He also claimed that Muslims in Bengal were fully aware of the political compulsions driving Kabir's recent moves.

"People clearly understand at whose instance he is acting, to what extent, and for what objective," Waqar said.

Contacted by PTI, Waqar said, "He has only spoken about the party's stand, which remains unchanged." Kabir, who was suspended from the TMC last week following repeated run-ins with the party leadership, has announced plans to launch a new political outfit on December 22 and claimed to be in talks with AIMIM and other parties for a possible alliance.

Monday's statement marks AIMIM's first formal rebuttal to those claims.

On Saturday, Kabir laid the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid-style mosque at Rejinagar in Murshidabad under heavy security, deliberately choosing December 6, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, a move that added to the political heat in the poll-bound state.

A former Congress MLA, Kabir joined the Trinamool Congress in 2012, became a state minister, and was expelled in 2015.

He later joined the BJP and contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, before returning to the ruling party in 2020, marking a turbulent career shaped by frequent switches and controversy. PTI PNT MNB