'Some traitors take BJP's money to stoke communal tensions': Mamata after TMC MLA's suspension

Murshidabad: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said Murshidabad would never accept "politics of riots" and that some "traitors take BJP's money to stoke communal tensions" on the day the TMC suspended MLA Humayun Kabir over his proposed 'Babri Masjid-style' mosque.

Addressing a rally in Baharampur, Banerjee, without naming Bharatpur MLA Kabir, said that "in every religion there are betrayers" who try to provoke unrest before elections.

She invoked minority-dominated Murshidabad's pluralistic legacy to caution people against possible attempts to disturb the communal harmony ahead of the 2026 assembly polls.

Banerjee said that the people of Murshidabad "do not accept the politics of riots," calling any effort to provoke disharmony just months before the elections "acts of betrayal".

"Some people take money and serve the BJP before the polls. Remember, they are your enemies," she said.

Banerjee leaned on Murshidabad's layered history of syncretic traditions, its Nawabi heritage and its past brushes with communal tensions to send out one of her sharpest warnings yet against religious polarisation.

The disciplinary action had been announced earlier in the day by senior minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim at a press conference.

Flanked by district leaders Akhruzzaman and Niamat Sheikh, Hakim said Kabir "will have no relation with the party", emphasising that the Trinamool Congress had no space for "divisive politics over religion." Party insiders said the decision carried Banerjee's direct approval.

Kabir has triggered a political flashpoint with his plan to lay the foundation stone of a proposed mosque in Beldanga on December 6, a date indelibly linked to the Babri Masjid demolition.

His claims that "lakhs" would attend the programme raised concerns about communal mobilisation and possible administrative challenges.

Governor C V Ananda Bose also flagged apprehensions, further heightening the political temperature in a district crucial to West Bengal's electoral arithmetic.

Against this backdrop, Banerjee's speech was calibrated to achieve multiple objectives: reinforcing the party's zero-tolerance line on communal politics, reclaiming the narrative of harmony, and sending a stern message to potential dissenters.

"We cannot forget the history of Murshidabad. Siraj-ud-Daulah is revered in every home here. This is the land of the Nawabs. It has holy places of all religions," she said, evoking the memory of West Bengal's last independent Nawab to underline the dangers of betrayal and the strength of coexistence.

"History teaches us that betrayal brings ruin and harmony brings strength," she added.

She reminded the crowd of earlier flashpoints in the district and her interventions to contain them.

"There was an incident in Dhulian, I came myself. Something was about to happen in Jangipur. But I called my minority brothers...," she said, stressing that communal harmony was central to both constitutional values and West Bengal's political culture.

Her tone alternated between warning and reassurance as she urged people not to fall prey to provocation.

"Do not be misled. Murshidabad has always upheld unity. This land has always resisted violence. We will protect that harmony at all costs," she said.

In April, violent clashes had erupted in Murshidabad's Samserganj, Suti and Dhulian, where at least three people were killed during protests against Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Political observers say Banerjee's attempt to frame Murshidabad's identity around Siraj-ud-Daulah's legacy -- the last independent Nawab of Bengal who lost to British in the Battle of Palassey in 1757 -- and historic coexistence is a deliberate counter-narrative aimed at blunting the BJP's polarisation strategy while reinforcing internal discipline.