Our Correspondent / New Delhi
In a significant political development, three Muslim MPs from the rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday and urged the Centre to intervene over the alleged removal of loudspeakers from mosques in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The MPs — Abu Tahir Khan, Khallilur Rehman and Yusuf Pathan — expressed concern over the reported removal of loudspeakers from several mosques, saying the issue has caused resentment among the local Muslim community. They requested Shah to ensure appropriate action and safeguard the community’s religious rights.
The meeting comes as a fresh setback for the rebel faction of around 20 TMC MPs. During the discussion, the three parliamentarians also raised concerns over the SIR exercise, alleging that it has created anxiety among voters in Murshidabad.
The MPs further alleged that Muslims in the district were facing atrocities under the state government and apprised the Union Home Minister of the prevailing situation. Shah assured the delegation that the concerns raised during the meeting, including the alleged removal of mosque loudspeakers and issues relating to the SIR exercise, would be looked into and that appropriate action would be taken in accordance with the law.
Earlier the three rebel TMC MPs – Murshidabad MP Abu Taher Khan, Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahaman, and Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan, all from Muslim-dominated Lok Sabha seats in Murshidabad district – announced their decision on Tuesday when they skipped an NDA parliamentary party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi for the second time. However, these MPs still attended a coordination meeting in Delhi held by Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss developmental work in their constituencies.