Mirzapur (UP), February 17 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ridiculed suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir's announcement to build a replica of the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
Asked about the proposed mosque, Sarma told reporters in Mirzapur on Monday, "It's a 'dummy' of the Babri Masjid, not the original (mosque). What will the 'dummy' do when the original is gone?"
Last Wednesday, Kabir began construction of the much-hyped mosque – modelled after Ayodhya's Babri Masjid – in Beldanga, Murshidabad district.
Kabir, who recently floated the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) after his removal from the Trinamool Congress, announced that the mosque in Rejinagar would be completed within two years and cost around Rs 50-55 crore.
The mosque is being built on an 11-acre plot and will have the capacity to accommodate about 12,000 people for prayer.
Following Kabir's announcement, the Vishva Hindu Raksha Parishad, a right-wing group, has called on people in Uttar Pradesh to march to Murshidabad.
A large group of Kar Sevaks demolished the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
The Supreme Court settled the issue on November 9, 2019, by backing the construction of a Ram temple by a trust at the disputed site and ruling that an alternative five-acre plot be found for a mosque in the holy town.
After the Supreme Court order, a grand Ram temple was constructed in Ayodhya.
