In eye of a storm over ‘Muslim majority’ remark, Mamata’s key lieutenant: Who is Firhad Hakim?

A TMC leader said Mamata has disapproved of Hakim’s controversial remark.

The row comes as a setback to the 65-year-old four-time MLA, who has been rising up the TMC ladder over the last several years.

What is the new row?

On December 14, a video went viral on social media in which Hakim is heard purportedly saying, “We are from a community that accounts for 33 per cent of West Bengal’s population. In India, however, we account for 17 per cent (of the total population) and are called a minority community. But we don’t think of ourselves as a minority. We believe that if Allah’s grace is with us, we can become a bigger majority than the majority one day.”

Hakim also purportedly said, “It will be Allah’s grace and we will achieve this with our strength. Whenever something happens, our community holds a candlelight march, saying, ‘we want justice’. Holding marches for justice won’t help, raise your stature to the point where you can deliver justice instead of demanding it.”

He was speaking at an event organised by “Firhad 30” that prepares students for competitive exams.

Hitting out at Hakim, the principal Opposition BJP called his remarks “dangerous” and accused him of allegedly inciting communal hatred. The Congress also alleged that the TMC was “cosying up to religious fundamentalists”.

Union minister and state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar said on X: “Pure venom from the Kolkata Mayor. TMC’s Firhad Hakim is 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… Our nation will not tolerate such threats to its unity and integrity.”

The TMC also condemned Hakim’s remark, saying his views did “not reflect the party’s position or ideology”.

“Our commitment to peace, unity, and communal harmony remains unwavering. Any remarks that threaten the social fabric of Bengal will be met with strict measures,” the party said.

Amid the growing controversy, Hakim reportedly said, “I am a diehard secular and patriotic Indian. No one can question my secular values and love for my country.”

Rise of Hakim

Until 2009, Hakim was a councillor in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), who was mainly involved in local politics. That year, he became the TMC’s surprise pick for the bypoll in the Kolkata’s high-profile Alipore constituency that was necessitated after sitting MLA Tapas Paul got elected as an MP. Hakim won the seat with a margin of over 27,000 votes.

He again became an MLA in 2011, this time from the Kolkata Port constituency. His political growth coincided with that of Mamata’s rise.

Firhad became the TMC’s bypoll pick for Alipore in 2009, and he won again from the Kolkata Port constituency in 2011. (Express Archives)

After bringing an end to the CPM-led Left’s 34-year rule in Bengal in the 2011 Assembly polls, Mamata took over as the CM and inducted Hakim as the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister. Hakim still holds both those portfolios, even as other ministers have been shuffled around. He is widely considered to be one of the most important Muslim leaders of the TMC in the state. However, Hakim has also been surrounded by various controversies since 2011.

Past controversies

A sting operation was conducted by a journalist Mathew Samuel for over two years in Bengal, which was carried by a website Narada News ahead of the 2016 state Assembly elections.

As part of his sting operation, Samuel formed a fictitious company named Impex Consultancy Solutions and approached several TMC ministers, MPs and leaders, asking them for favours in return for money.

In the 52-hour footage filmed by Samuel and his colleague Angel Abraham, then TMC MPs — Mukul Roy, Sougata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Prasun Bannerjee, Suvendu Adhikari, Aparupa Poddar and Sultan Ahmad (he died in 2017) — and then state ministers — Madan Mitra, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim and Iqbal Ahmed — were seen purportedly accepting alleged bribes in the form of cash in exchange for extending unofficial favours for Impex Consultancy Solutions.

Hakim, among others, was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over this scandal and was subsequently arrested. The Calcutta High Court granted bail to them days later.

A few months ago, speaking at an All India Quran Competition in Kolkata, Hakim purportedly said those “not born in Islam are unfortunate” and that the religion should be “spread among non-Muslims”. He drew flak from various quarters over this statement too. The BJP created an uproar in the Assembly over it and demanded Hakim’s resignation. Later, Hakim claimed that his remarks had been misinterpreted and that it was not his intention to hurt anyone.

During the Haroa bypoll in November this year, Hakim sparked controversy again with his alleged derogatory remark against BJP leader Rekha Patra. Patra, who had lost the Lok Sabha poll earlier this year from Basirhat, condemned Hakim and demanded legal action against him.