Kolkata mayor gets rap from TMC for suggesting minority community can be bigger than majority 'someday'

'Any remarks that threaten the social fabric of West Bengal will be met with strict measures,' the party said.

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress has dissociated itself from the purported statement of the senior party leader and Mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim, that the Muslims could someday become even “bigger than the majority community” in West Bengal if God’s blessings and education remained with the community.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal not only “firmly dissociated” from the statement by the state’s urban development minister but also “strongly condemned” it.

“Any remarks that threaten the social fabric of West Bengal will be met with strict measures,” the Trinamool Congress posted on X after Hakim’s purported statement was used by the Bharatiya Janata Party to sharpen its attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party.

“Our community accounts for 33% of West Bengal's population and 17% of the country. We are called a minority community. But we don’t consider ourselves as a minority community,” Hakim had told a congregation of students of the minority community in Kolkata on Friday. “If we have with us the blessings of ‘Allah’ and ‘Talim’ (education), we can someday become ‘majority se bhi majority’. We can achieve on our own strength if we have the blessing of Allah,” he had added.

He had questioned the effectiveness of candlelight rallies to protest against any injustice and to demand justice. “You have to become so empowered that you would deliver justice instead of seeking justice,” he had told the students preparing for competitive examinations.

Hakim’s statement drew flak from the BJP with the saffron party’s state president Sukanta Majumdar, a union minister, calling it “pure venom”. He accused Hakim of openly inciting communal hatred and pushing a dangerous agenda. “This isn’t just (a) hate speech — it’s a blueprint for creating a Bangladesh-type situation in India. Why is the I.N.D.I. Alliance silent? I challenge them to voice their opinion on this,” he posted on X.

“@MamataOfficial your hypocrisy and anti-India mindset stands exposed. Is this the future you envision?” Majumdar posted, adding: “Every Bharatwasi must condemn this mindset! Our nation will not tolerate such threats to its unity and integrity.”  

As the BJP cashed in on his statement to step up attacks on the TMC, Hakim – known to be loyal to the party supremo Mamata Banerjee – conveyed to the party leadership that he had only encouraged the students of the minority community to seek empowerment through education.

“I am a diehard secular and patriotic Indian. No one can question my secular values and love for my country. Period,” the Mayor of Kolkata told journalists.