Battle against communal forces spewing hatred will continue: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the battle against communal forces that spread hatred will continue and asserted that her government is committed to protecting and strengthening the ideals and principles of the country's Constitution.

Banerjee's comment comes on a day when suspended TMC MLA Humayun Kabir was set to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a mosque – modelled on Ayodhya’s Babri Masjid – at Beldanga in Murshidabad district.

Kabir had announced the foundation-laying ceremony for the proposed mosque on December 6, which also marks the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.

The TMC planned to observe the day as 'Sanhati Divas' (Unity Day), calling for amity, peace, and a fight against divisive elements.

Taking to X, Banerjee said, "The soil of Bengal is the soil of unity. This is the land of Rabindranath (Tagore), the land of Nazrul (Islam), the land of Ramakrishna–Vivekananda—this land has never bowed its head before any divisive move, nor will it ever do so in the days to come."

She also said, "Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists — in Bengal, we know how to walk shoulder to shoulder. We share our joys with one another, because we believe that practising own faith as per religious beliefs, belongs to each individual, but festivals belong to all." She also extended her greetings to everyone on the 'Sanhati Divas', as called by the ruling TMC.

"Our struggle will continue against those who are fanning the flames of communal hatred and playing a destructive game against the nation...We are committed to protecting and strengthening the ideals and principles of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar as enshrined in our Constitution, the guiding light of our democracy."

On Ambedkar's death anniversary, she paid tribute to the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.

Banerjee said, "An unparalleled thinker and a social reformer, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, on his Mahaparinirvan Diwas. His contribution to drafting the Constitution of India remains immortal."

"It is our pride that Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Bengal legislature. Bengal played a crucial part in the unfolding of his monumental work," she added.