Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim, who is in the eye of a storm for his comment on non-Muslims’ conversion to Islam, has countered BJP’s charge against him and TMC by challenging the saffron party to contest against him in a Hindu area.
The Kolkata Mayor, who also a senior minister in Mamata Banerjee’s Cabinet, said he is not bothered by BJP’s interpretation of his comments.
“This is how BJP speaks… I don’t need to react to that,” Firhad told ANI, adding that there was nothing controversial about what he had said.
“Everyone in Bengal knows I am a truly secular person… I am a Hindustani and respect all religions. I am telling them to come and contest against me in a Hindu area. If they can beat me, I will leave politics,” Firhad said, adding fuel to the fire.
Speaking at an ‘All India Quran Competition’ in Kolkata earlier this week, Firhad said that those who are not born in Islam are ‘unfortunate’.
“They are born with misfortune. We have to invite them and bring them under the fold of Islam… We need to spread Islam among non-Muslims. If we can bring someone on the path of Islam, then, we will prove to be true Muslims,” Firhad added.
BJP leader Amit Malviya said Firhad’s comments is another example of TMC’s penchant for extreme appeasement politics in West Bengal, which is an ‘open secret’.
