Kolkata Mayor and TMC minister Firhad Hakim’s comments at a recent religious event have sparked significant controversy, leading to heated exchanges in the West Bengal Assembly. BJP legislators demanded an apology for what they termed a “communal speech” and threatened to boycott the minister.
Hakim’s controversial remarks were made at the ‘All India Quran Competition’ in Kolkata on Saturday. He stated, “Those not born in Islam are unfortunate. They are born with misfortune… it (Islam) should be spread among non-Muslims.” He added that Muslims are aware of their prayer etiquette and implied that those who were not born into Islam were less fortunate.
BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, condemned Hakim’s comments, calling them “highly condemnable.” Adhikari criticized the minister for allegedly encouraging conversions to Islam and called for a “Dharma Yuddh” (holy war) in response. During the Assembly’s Question Hour, BJP MLAs, led by chief whip Shankar Ghosh, demanded that Hakim apologize and retract his statement.
Hakim argued that remarks made outside should not be discussed in the Assembly.
The situation in the Assembly grew tense as BJP MLAs walked out thrice during the day over the issue. Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay urged the legislators to maintain decorum and avoid discussing remarks made outside the Assembly. During Question Hour, BJP MLAs, led by chief whip Shankar Ghosh, demanded an apology from Hakim.
Agriculture Minister Shobhandeb Chatterjee expressed his surprise at the opposition’s behavior, noting that in his long political career, he had never seen such actions from any opposition party.
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