‘Communal compromise?’: CPI-M’s Bengal chief meets controversial Babri Masjid replica builderNew Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) state unit’s topmost leader’s early Thursday outreach towards West Bengal’s controversial Babri Masjid replica builder stands out against Communists presenting themselves as secular and anti‑communal politicians. But CPI(M)’s West Bengal Committee Secretary Mohammed Salim characterised the meeting as an effort to understand Kabir’s political thinking rather than a formal alliance move. It is yet to be seen how he further engages with the controversial leader Kabir, and how the party will justify such outreach to its core supporters. The ISF was launched shortly before the 2021 West Bengal elections claiming to represent marginalised Muslim communities and other disadvantaged groups. It was then part of the Left Front and the Congress — both having ruled West Bengal at different times — seeking a broader “anti‑Trinamool, anti-BJP” coalition.