'By Allah's grace, we will be in majority one day': Bengal TMC leader Firhad Hakim sparks row

Hakim, who is also the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, told a gathering that the Muslims wouldn’t need to seek justice through passive means like ‘candlelight marches’ when the community reaches majority in the coming days by ‘Allah’s will’.

On Friday, Hakim attended an event for minority students in Kolkata where he made a controversial remark, saying, "In West Bengal, we make up 33% of the population, and across the country, we account for 17%. That’s why we’re considered a minority. However, in the future, we believe that, if Allah wills, we will no longer remain a minority and may become the majority. Instead of holding candlelight rallies to demand justice, we should aim to be in a position where justice is naturally ensured without us needing to ask for it."

Reacting to Hakim’s statement, BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya said the TMC leader “envisions a future where Muslims will no longer rely on peaceful protests or marches but will take justice into their own hands—potentially hinting at Sharia law.”

This aligns with remarks from TMC’s Chopra MLA, who previously cited Islamic scriptures to justify an incident, where a woman was publicly whipped, he added.

Describing the situation as “deeply concerning,” Malviya pointed out that large parts of Kolkata, especially slum areas, are being increasingly dominated by illegal infiltrators, including Rohingyas.

“Hakim’s comments seem to encourage the influx of more illegal migrants, further destabilizing the demographic balance. At the same time, Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury has claimed that all of South Kolkata is WAQF property. Bengalis may soon face the challenge of resisting Islamic radicalism within their own state,” he averred.

However, this is not the first time Hakim made a provocative statement, viewed as an indirect attack on other communities, especially the Hindus.

In a gathering in July, 2024, Hakim said those not born in Islam were ‘unfortunate’.

Speaking at the All India Quran ‘Competition’, he said, “They are unfortunate, who are not born in Islam. We have to bring them under the fold of Islam. Allah will be happy if we do so.”

On Friday, Hakim further remarked that in the Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court, only 2-4 judges belong to the minority community.

“Why is that?” he asked.  “We have not been enabled or empowered to deliver justice. With Allah’s grace and everyone’s hard work, this gap can be bridged, and we can reach a stage where we are capable of delivering justice,” he asserted.

Continuing his trend of contentious remarks, recently, Firhad Hakim accused the BJP of defaming Sandeshkhali. He shared an incident involving a friend’s daughter, whose wedding in Canning was called off. According to Hakim, the groom’s family withdrew, citing concerns that their neighbours would label the girl from Sandeshkhali as "impure."

He remarked, “Since then, the girl’s parents have been in tears. Who cast this stain on the area? The BJP did.”