Mamata empowering Firhad Hakim who could ultimately challenge her leadership: Amit Malviya

Kolkata, April 14: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is making a mistake by increasingly empowering a personality like the state municipal affairs & urban development minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, since the latter could challenge her leadership, BJP’s Information Technology Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal Amit Malviya said on Monday.

Kolkata, April 14 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is making a mistake by increasingly empowering a personality like the state municipal affairs & urban development minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, since the latter could challenge her leadership, BJP’s Information Technology Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal Amit Malviya said on Monday. “If Mamata Banerjee continues her silence, she risks empowering a figure whose ideological ambitions could ultimately challenge her leadership and catalyze a deeper push toward the Islamization of Bengal,” Malviya said in a statement that he posted on the wall of his official X handle.

Malviya had also explained why he had made this observation and referred to a recent statement made by Hakim that “everything is alright in West Bengal", while reacting to the recent unrest in Murshidabad district where protests over the newly promulgated Waqf (Amendment) Act turned violent since last week.

“This is the same man who referred to a part of Kolkata as 'mini Pakistan' and has previously made provocative statements promoting religious conversion to Islam. He has openly supported initiatives like Dawat-E-Islam and labelled non-Muslims as ‘unfortunate’. He has even envisioned an India governed entirely by Islamic law and jurisprudence,” observed Malviya in his statement.

According to him, it is a matter of “travesty” that Hakim is occupying the post of Kolkata Mayor, a chair which had been graced in the past by iconic Indians like Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Subhash Chandra Bose, among others.

“His ascent is symbolic of the erosion of the refined 'bhadralok' sensibilities that Kolkata was once renowned for,” Malviya added.

Malviya also said that it was a matter of shock for him that Hakim had indirectly “justified and expressed satisfaction” over the displacement of Hindus from Murshidabad.

“Bengali Hindus are being reduced to refugees in their own homeland like Kashmiri Pandits, who had to flee from Kashmir to escape religious persecution and seek refuge in Jammu and the rest of India,” he said.

Reader Comments

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Priya S.

Malviya makes some concerning points here. While I don't always agree with BJP's rhetoric, the examples he cites about Hakim's past statements do raise valid questions. We need more transparency from our leaders. 🤔

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Rahul K.

This just seems like political mudslinging to me. Mamata knows what she's doing - she's been in politics long enough to handle any challenges. Let's focus on actual governance issues instead of these speculations.

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Sunita M.

As a Kolkata resident, I've seen Hakim's work firsthand. He's improved our city's infrastructure significantly. Why can't we judge leaders by their work rather than these political theories? The roads don't lie!

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Arjun P.

The comparison to Kashmiri Pandits seems exaggerated and insensitive. Bengal has its challenges, but we're far from that situation. Politicians should be more responsible with their words. 😕

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Neha R.

Interesting analysis, but I wish the article had included Hakim's response or perspective too. One-sided political stories don't help voters make informed decisions. Journalism should be more balanced.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.