The mood for next year’s West Bengal assembly elections is already set, and it is centered around strong religious and political division. Tensions are rising in the state over religion. A new kind of political polarization using religious symbols has started. In Murshidabad district, suspended Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir created controversy by laying the foundation for a new mosque in Beldanga, designed like the Babri Masjid. Many believe he is doing this to gather support from Muslim voters in areas with a large Muslim population. Kabir has also said that he will contest the next election with Owaisi’s party.
Those who recite the Bhagavad Gita argue that India needs followers of Sanatana Dharma (eternal righteousness), not those who create conflict. Sanatana Dharma-based unity is the greatest means to world peace. All religions are respected in India. What objection can anyone have to someone building a temple or a mosque? Faith is entirely personal, but building a mosque in the name of Babur and injecting poison into society is not right. Babur was an invader. He established the Mughal Empire in India through military force. The Mughals ruled India for more than 300 years. The Babri Masjid dispute was also connected to him. Babur looted India extensively. Mughal rule influenced India’s socio-cultural landscape for centuries. I don’t want to delve into his history, but I see no justification for glorifying such a Mughal ruler in independent India. The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita holds great significance for the majority of Hindus in India. It is a philosophy of life. The Gita guides humanity towards the right path in life. Lord Krishna not only imparted the teachings of the Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra to help him make the right decision, but He also revealed His divine form to him. The teachings of Lord Krishna given in the Dwapara Yuga still serve as a guide for people to attain happiness, peace, and liberation. If a person implements the teachings of the Gita, their life will be transformed. The message of performing one’s duty without worrying about the results is given in the Gita. In West Bengal, the path to power goes through Muslim votes, therefore, a war of religious polarization has begun in West Bengal. The Bharatiya Janata Party has started full preparations to win the elections in West Bengal. No one knows better than the BJP how to fight and win elections. The BJP once had no support base in West Bengal. The way the BJP has established itself there in the last decade is a testament to this. If Humayun Kabir and Owaisi succeed in dividing the Muslim vote, the Trinamool Congress could suffer heavy losses. Mamata’s traditional Muslim vote bank is under threat of being eroded. The BJP is playing aggressively on the Hindutva platform. The idea of building a mosque in the name of Babri is emotionally hurting the Hindus of West Bengal.
If Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee opposes the construction of the Babri Masjid, her core vote bank could shift. Even if she remains silent, it will be seen as appeasement. The air, which should be filled with promises of a prosperous Bengal, is now echoing with inflammatory slogans. All of politics has been reduced to the Hindu-Muslim divide. Who will build the palace of power? Only the election results will tell, but the game of mobilizing the sentiments of the majority has already begun. The fear is that politics in West Bengal might turn bloody. Only if the Muslim community understands the sentiments of the majority and abandons the idea of constructing a mosque on the lines of the Babri Masjid can the path to communal harmony be paved. It remains to be seen what turn politics will take.
