Kolkata, Nov 3 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday criticised Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chairman and Nowda MLA Humayun Kabir over his threat to block National Highway 12 on December 6, coinciding with the commencement of construction of the proposed Babri Masjid in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.
Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar cautioned Kabir against disrupting traffic on the national highway, saying such an act could invite legal action.
“Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, blocking a national highway is an offence under a non-bailable section. I would urge the MLA not to indulge in such activities. It would also be better to avoid using the name of Babur. He should name the mosque after someone else rather than associate it with Babur,” Majumdar warned.
State Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh also criticised Kabir over his proposed blockade, claiming that the AJUP chairman had become politically irrelevant.
“He (Humayun Kabir) is irrelevant in politics. Such people should be thrown in the dustbin,” Ghosh said.
The BJP leaders’ remarks came a day after Kabir announced his plan to block NH-12 on December 6, when construction of the proposed mosque is scheduled to begin at Beldanga in Murshidabad district.
Issuing the warning, the former Trinamool Congress leader said the stretch between Rejinagar and Berhampore, covering around 30 km, would remain under his control. He also claimed that his supporters would take to the roads across several areas, including Krishnanagar, Domkal, Jalangi, Sainthia, Kandi, Burdwan and Nabadwip.
Kabir had earlier warned that if the administration or the police wanted to prevent the blockade, they would have to demonstrate their ability to do so.
After being expelled from the Trinamool Congress last year, Kabir returned to the political spotlight by raising the Babri Masjid issue. He subsequently floated his own political outfit, the Aam Janata Unnayan Party.
Invoking the significance of December 6, Kabir announced plans to establish a mosque in his home constituency of Beldanga on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.
–IANS
sch/snj/skp
