On February 18, 2026, Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, made a strong allegation against Humayun Kabir, saying that Kabir obtained half of the money needed to build a mosque from donors in Bangladesh. The mosque in question was designed to resemble the historic Babri Masjid that once stood in Ayodhya.

Adhikari, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said Kabir organised this money by travelling to Bangladesh for about a week at the end of September last year. According to him, Kabir travelled there between September 28 and early October 2025 to meet people and secure funds. Adhikari claimed the contributors included donors linked with organisations like Jamaat, and that this financial support was secretly meant to strengthen the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) among minority voters.

Adhikari criticised Kabir sharply, calling him a “link between Jamaat and the TMC”. He said this alliance was helping what he described as “Islamic fundamentalists” to build influence on both sides of the India-Bangladesh border. According to Adhikari, this was “alarming for Bengali Hindus” and part of a broader political strategy.

Humayun Kabir responded strongly to these accusations. He dismissed Adhikari’s claims as baseless and said they showed a loss of reason. Kabir confirmed that he did visit Bangladesh during the period mentioned, but he said the trip was personal in nature, to meet his friends and relatives, and not connected to mosque funding. He offered to share his full travel schedule to prove there was nothing to hide.

Kabir said he found it hard to believe that someone could link his Bangladesh trip to the mosque’s finances. He stated the contributions to the mosque came from generous donors across India and were fully transparent. He said the funding process did not involve secrecy and rejected any idea that foreign money was used.

To counter the claims, Kabir also suggested that if Adhikari had doubts about the source of the mosque funds, then agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should investigate both the funding and his visit to Bangladesh. This, he said, would bring out the truth and clear any misunderstandings.

The mosque’s foundation stone was laid on December 6, 2025, the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya, a date loaded with historical and political significance. Kabir’s decision to lay the stone on that day drew attention and controversy, as it linked his project symbolically with a past event that caused deep national debate.

Kabir had parted ways with the TMC before these events, after setting up his own party, the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP). The mosque project in Beldanga, Murshidabad district, has become a focal point of political debate in West Bengal, especially with state elections approaching. Some political observers say the project and these accusations are part of wider election dynamics. Adhikari’s statements reflect the heated environment of Bengal politics in the run-up to the polls.

Overall, the controversy centres on whether foreign funding played a role in building the mosque and whether recent political motives are influencing statements from both sides. Kabir insists all donations are transparent and from within India, while Adhikari continues to focus on his claim of external influence and political strategy involving minority votes.