Kolkata Mayor Farhad Hakim recently found himself at the center of a political storm after a video went viral in which he is heard saying, “We will be in majority soon”. The opposition BJP has objected to this and accused him of inciting communal hatred.
“Pure poison from Kolkata Mayor, Firhad Hakim of TMC Openly inciting communal hatred and pushing a dangerous agenda. This is not just hate speech – it is a blueprint for creating a Bangladesh-type situation in India.
“Why is the Indian alliance silent? I challenge them to give their views on this. @MamataOfficial, your hypocrisy and anti-India mentality has been exposed. Is this the future you envisioned?? Every Indian must condemn this mentality! Our nation has lost its unity and integrity. Such threats will not be tolerated,” Sukant Majumdar, Bengal BJP president and Union Minister of State, posted on his X handle.
A four-time MLA, Firhad Hakim is the Mayor of Kolkata and the Minister of Urban Development, Municipal Affairs and Housing of Bengal. In the video, he said, ‘We belong to a community that constitutes 33 percent of Bengal’s population. In India, however, we account for 17 percent (of the population) and are called minority communities. But we don’t consider ourselves a minority…” Hakim made this statement at a program organized to train students for competitive exams under the ‘Firhad 30’ initiative.
Leader of Bengal Opposition Subendu Adhikari He called Hakim’s statement ‘dangerous’.
“He (Hakim) has said that they will be the majority… It is good to have more people from the Muslim community in the judiciary. What is wrong if someone is selected on the basis of merit? I believe in the principle of meritocracy, whether you are a Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Christian, or Buddhist – everyone should break the mold and achieve great things and attain high positions. But it should not be based on religion. He certainly wants many Muslim people to get good education and become part of the judiciary, I don’t see anything wrong with that. But it is dangerous to say 17 percent in India and 33 percent in Bengal,” said the official.
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