Mamata unhappy, warns Firhad over minority-majority remark: Sources

Kolkata Mayor and West Bengal’s Urban Development Minister, Firhad Hakim, has sparked controversy after his comments about the minority and majority communities during an education conference. Hakim stated that Muslims in Bengal comprise 33% of the population, while across India, they represent 17%. He went on to say that, with divine blessings, Muslims would one day surpass the majority community in terms of power. These remarks were quickly met with backlash from both opposition parties and sections within his own party, Trinamool Congress (TMC), for their potentially divisive nature.

Sources within the TMC confirmed that party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her displeasure directly to Hakim regarding his comments. According to party insiders, Banerjee conveyed her concerns that such remarks were not in line with the party’s secular ideology, which aims to uphold religious harmony and inclusivity. The TMC leadership made it clear to Hakim that his statements did not reflect the party's official stance and were not endorsed by the party. Additionally, Hakim was warned that comments about religion should be avoided, particularly when they could be interpreted as promoting division.

In addition to the criticism from Mamata Banerjee, TMC lawmakers also voiced their discontent. Humayun Kabir, the TMC MLA from Debra, expressed his disagreement on social media, stating that "Life is not about length; it's about greatness, Huzur Hakimji! We want quality, not quantity." Similarly, the MLA from Bharatpur also criticized the remarks, urging Hakim to reconsider his statements and even suggested that he read the Quran to understand the potential impact of his words more clearly. This internal party criticism highlights the discomfort with Hakim’s comments within the TMC, especially considering the party’s stance on secularism and its commitment to minority communities.

The opposition parties, including Congress and BJP, also seized the opportunity to condemn Hakim’s remarks. Congress leaders accused him of fueling communal tensions, claiming that his comments could provide ammunition to the BJP’s Hindu communal narrative. Subhankar Sarkar, the president of West Bengal Congress, called for Hakim’s removal from his position as Mayor, stating that his comments undermined the country’s pluralistic fabric. On the other hand, BJP leaders suggested that Hakim’s remarks aligned with the type of divisive rhetoric they claim is prevalent in the TMC, giving further credence to the BJP’s own communal agenda.

Hakim responded to the growing criticism by defending his comments, stating that he remains a committed secularist. He clarified that his remarks were misunderstood, asserting that his intentions were not to create division. "I am an Indian and a secular person. I will remain secular until my last breath," he said. Despite his clarification, the controversy has raised questions about Hakim’s future within the TMC and whether his stance aligns with the party's secular and inclusive principles, especially given the intense internal and external reactions.