A day after BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said that he would ensure that “Hakim is put behind bars”, Senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim on Friday slammed him saying he was not afraid of going to jail but “Majumdar should tell me in which case he is planning to send me jail?”
Addressing a public meeting at Berhampore in Murshidabad district on Thursday Majumdar said, “There are a lot of thieves in Trinamool Congress. The list is long. Partha (Chatterjee) and Kesto (Anubrata Mondal) went (to jail). Now, Bobby (Firhad Hakim) will go as well. We have heard that both Partha and Kesto are falling sick there. So, there is a need to send a ‘hakim’ (a physician).”
Reacting strongly to Majumdar’s statement, Hakim, who is the state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister, said he was not afraid of going to jail.
“A smear campaign is being run to tarnish my reputation. Bobby Hakim is in the TMC and that’s why he should be branded as a thief. But those who are in BJP are saints despite committing crimes. This means whoever joins the BJP will become a saint. But if the same person is in TMC, then he will be branded as a thief. The CBI had arrested me in a case. I am not going into the details as the matter is sub judice. I was sent to jail. Later, the court granted me bail. I am not scared of going to jail. But I would request them not to tarnish my reputation,” Hakim told reporters outside the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Following the arrest of heavyweight TMC leaders Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal in the SSC recruitment scam and the cattle smuggling case, respectively, Opposition parties, especially the BJP, have branded TMC leaders as “thieves”.
“Every politician has self-respect. I am not afraid of going to jail, but I am scared to see my reputation being tarnished like this. This is being done for a long time in a planned manner. I will ask Sukanta Majumdar to put me behind bars using central agencies. But let me know the case in which they will implicate me. Just let me know when you will send the agencies. There is also a media trial going on. What’s wrong have I done? What crimes have I committed? I can say with full confidence that I have not done anything for which I need to be scared for my life,” said the minister.
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“If I have done anything wrong, then arrest me. But stop this media trial. This is nothing but harassment. The country has laws, a constitution and a judiciary. One cannot do anything as per his whims and fancies. One cannot say whatever he wants,” added the Kolkata Mayor.
Responding to his comments, Majumdar, BJP MP from Balurghat, said, “Why is this fear? If he has done anything wrong, then he will surely go to jail. A person is bound to go to jail if he is found guilty. He should have thought about his self-respect before committing crimes. If he has not done anything wrong, then he does not need to fear anything.”
