In the labyrinth of West Bengal’s volatile politics, where alliances shift like sand dunes, the Left Front – once the self-proclaimed vanguard of secularism – stands on the precipice of a profound betrayal. For decades, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its allies have thundered against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), branding them as communal forces bent on dividing India along religious lines. They have positioned themselves as the bulwark against majoritarianism, champions of equality, and defenders of minority rights without pandering to extremism. Yet, in a stunning display of opportunism, the Left is now inching towards an alliance with Humayun Kabir, the suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA turned firebrand leader of the Janata Unnayan Party (JUP).

Kabir, infamous for his hardline communal rhetoric and his audacious project to construct a replica of the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad’s Beldanga on December 6, 2025 – the very anniversary of the 1992 demolition – represents everything the Left claims to abhor. It is precisely this Islamist outreach that has also unsettled the Congress, which – much like in the 2021 Assembly elections when it kept a studied distance from the Indian Secular Front – has so far refrained from sealing any alliance with the Left, despite public criticism from CPI(M) leader Mohammed Salim.

This move is not mere political expediency; it is a damning indictment of the Left’s eroded principles. Kabir’s actions, including his calls for Muslims to unite against perceived anti-minority forces and his accusations against the TMC for betraying the community, echo the divisive tactics that the Left has long criticised in others. His foundation-laying ceremony drew thousands, underscoring his appeal among certain sections, but it also ignited tensions, with heavy security deployed amid fears of polarisation. The Left’s flirtation with him, evidenced by meetings between Mohammed Salim and Kabir in early 2026, signals a willingness to overlook his........

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