Chaos in KMC House: Mayor Firhad Hakim threatens to resign if ‘mini Pakistan’ allegation proven

Kolkata, Dec 18 (PTI) A heated exchange over an alleged "mini Pakistan" remark plunged the House of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) into chaos on Thursday, with mayor Firhad Hakim daring the BJP to produce proof and vowing to resign and quit politics if the charge was substantiated.

The uproar took place during a debate on a ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) resolution condemning what it termed "cultural attacks" on icons Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, and opposing any curbs on the slogan 'Vande Mataram'.

Moving the motion, TMC councillor Arup Chakraborty urged members to unite against what the party described as attempts to dilute Bengal's cultural legacy.

BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh, opposing the resolution, launched a sharp attack on the ruling party and the mayor, triggering angry reactions from the treasury benches.

As the final speaker, Hakim mounted a counter-offensive, invoking history to argue that communal politics had deeper roots elsewhere.

"Syama Prasad Mukherjee had joined the Fazlul Haq ministry. Those who demanded Pakistan were aided by the Hindu Mahasabha," Hakim said, drawing loud protests from the opposition BJP.

Ghosh then interjected, alleging that the mayor had earlier described a part of Kolkata as "mini Pakistan".

The claim instantly set off noisy scenes, with members from both sides shouting slogans and trading accusations.

An agitated Hakim rose from his seat, pointed at the opposition benches and issued a dramatic challenge.

"If you can show even one byte anywhere where I have uttered the words 'mini Pakistan', I will resign and walk away," he shouted amid the din.

"I am a Muslim. My country is India. Pakistan is my enemy," he said.

The House descended into disorder for several minutes, prompting senior TMC councillor and Rashbehari MLA Debashis Kumar to walk up to the mayor and calm him down.

Outside the House, Hakim reiterated his challenge at a press conference, sharpening the political stakes.

"If the allegation is proven, I will not only step down as mayor, I will quit politics," he said, describing the charge as personally hurtful and a product of "communal politics".

"Such communal politics did not exist in Bengal earlier. It will not last long. Whether I am a minority or a majority is not important. Our identity is Indian," Hakim added.

The controversy also revived claims that an interview attributed to Hakim had appeared in a Pakistani newspaper, purportedly containing the "mini Pakistan" reference.

Rejecting the allegation, the mayor said he was unaware of what had been published and dismissed the claim as fabricated.

"I cannot read Urdu, though I can speak it. Pakistani newspapers go to BJP offices; they do not come to Bengal. Stories are being concocted," Hakim said, accusing rivals of "spreading myths".

The row over the alleged "mini Pakistan" remark has resurfaced repeatedly over the years, particularly during election cycles.

BJP leaders have claimed that Hakim used the phrase during an interaction with a Pakistani journalist around the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections, allegedly while referring to a Muslim-majority Kolkata Port constituency in Kolkata.

Hakim is a three-time MLA from the constituency.

The TMC has consistently denied the charge, maintaining that no video, audio clip or verbatim transcript has ever been produced to substantiate the allegation, and that it has survived largely as political rhetoric.

The BJP, however, has cited reports published in a Pakistani newspaper, a claim the mayor has repeatedly rejected, saying he never gave such an interview.

The confrontation comes amid sharpening political polarisation in Bengal ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, with the BJP accusing the TMC of minority appeasement and the ruling party countering by branding the saffron camp as communal and anti-Bengal.

While proceedings eventually resumed, Thursday's episode underscored how identity, history and rhetoric are colliding inside Bengal's civic institutions, turning municipal debates into high-voltage political theatre with wider state-level ramifications, political observers noted. PTI PNT MNB