Kolkata: A video showing stacks of currency notes being counted as part of the donations for the proposed Babri Mosque at Beldanga in Murshidabad district has drawn wide attention after suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir posted it on his social media page.
The footage has circulated rapidly, prompting fresh debate on the scale and source of the funds collected.
The legislator from the Bharatpur constituency has hinted that he may launch his new political party on December 22.
Kabir said on Monday that 11 trunks filled with currency notes had been collected as cash offerings from local residents since Saturday, the day the foundation stone for the proposed mosque was laid.
“The exact worth of the currencies collected as cash donations is yet to be ascertained,” he said.
He added that online contributions had also come in, noting that about Rs 93 lakh had been received through a QR code he had posted on his social media page.
Kabir, however, did not divulge the details about an unnamed donor whom he says has pledged about Rs 80 crore for the project. He only described the individual as a Muslim businessman with an annual turnover of more than Rs 4,000 crore. He did not disclose the person’s identity or place of origin, which has led to further questions.
He reiterated that the proposed mosque budget is Rs 300 crore, with plans to replicate the original structure that stood in Ayodhya, which was demolished on December 6, 1992.
“The complex will also include a school and a hospital,” he said.
The TMC rebel legislator is reportedly preparing to launch his new political party on December 22. He intends to unveil the list of office bearers on the same day. Although he had earlier stated that he would resign from his Assembly seat before the formal launch, he reversed his position on Sunday.
He said he would hold back his resignation for the time being, a decision that has added another layer of uncertainty to the unfolding developments.
(IANS)
