Kolkata: Home Minister of India Amit Shah said the BJP would prefer to remain in the opposition for the next 20 years rather than align with those involved in constructing a Babri Masjid-style structure in West Bengal.
His remarks came in response to a question about a sting operation involving suspended Trinamool MLA Humayun Kabir.
Kabir had gained attention last year for attempting to build a mosque in Bengal modeled after Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid.
Recently, just weeks before the elections, a sting video surfaced online in which he is allegedly heard claiming links with senior BJP leaders and mentioning a Rs1,000 crore deal to defeat the Trinamool Congress.
The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified. While the Trinamool Congress criticised both Kabir and the BJP over the claims, both parties dismissed the video as fabricated and politically motivated.
Responding to the controversy, Shah said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could produce “thousands of such videos,” and stressed that the BJP and Kabir were completely incompatible. He compared their differences to the North and South Poles, reiterating that the BJP would never collaborate with him.
Earlier, former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh mocked Kabir, saying he was not worth even Rs 100 crore, let alone Rs1,000 crore.
Kabir, however, denied the allegations, claiming the video was created using artificial intelligence to defame him. He accused the Trinamool Congress of trying to damage his image out of fear of losing Muslim votes and warned of legal action if proof was not provided.
Despite his clarification, the controversy escalated. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), which had supported Kabir’s party, announced that it was ending its alliance with the Aam Janata Unnayan Party.
