Kolkata: West Bengal BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu on Sunday termed West Bengal Transport Minister Firhad Hakim a ‘non-Bengali whom the people call an ISI agent’.
After meeting the family of deceased BJP cadres at Rajarhat, Basu claimed that people of his area called Firhad an 'ISI agent’.
“Bobby Hakim is not a Bengali himself. People in his area call him an agent of the ISI (Pakistani intelligence agency). Does he think that people have forgotten his Mini Pakistan statement that came out in a Pakistani newspaper? How can he brand the BJP as a party of the non-Bengali speaking people,” said Sayantan also mentioning that Hakim should decide which party he will be in whether the TMC or will he start a new political party.
No sooner did Basu had commented than the Trinamool Congress criticized Basu and said it is a deliberate attempt to brand the opposing voices as anti-national.
However, Firhad Hakim said that the statement has a communal overtone.
“I don’t feel an urge to get engaged in nasty politics of communalism. I didn’t need to divide people on the lines of religion. I believe in work and ask people to vote on the basis of my performance. I am a religious person at heart but believe in secularism,” said Hakim.
Slamming the TMC, Basu also added that if TMC is happy by getting one or two BJP leaders like Babul Supriyo then God should bless them.
Countering Sayantan, Babul said that instead of commenting, Sayantan should learn how to win the polls.
