Kolkata: BJP on Saturday criticized urban development minister Firhad Hakim over a video where the Kolkata mayor is purportedly heard making a comment on minorities. Hakim had made the comment while addressing an educational conference recently.
Hakim said BJP was using his quote out of context and he was only referring to the gulf between the educated and the uneducated. “As education spreads, the gulf will be bridged and there will be one identity,” said Hakim. Saying that he would never play with the sentiments of people, Hakim told TOI: “What I said was related to education and not religion. Once more people get educated, we — the educated class — will be the majority.”
In the video, the TMC senior was apparently heard saying: “In Bengal, we are 33%. However, in the country, we are 17%. We are referred to as a minority. But we do not consider ourselves a minority. We believe that with the blessings of the Almighty, one day we can become even more of a majority than the current majority…”
BJP’s Amit Malviya uploaded a portion of the said video on X, criticizing Hakim’s comment. Other BJP netas shared the post. CPM’s Sujan Chakraborty criticized the “politics of polarization” by both parties.