The controversy over Bengal urban development minister and Calcutta mayor Firhad Hakim’s allegedly contentious remarks on minorities refused to subside on Sunday.

At least two minority leaders from his party, the Trinamool Congress, criticised his alleged statement, in addition to a battery of Opposition leaders.

In a video that had surfaced on social media, Hakim apparently suggested in a speech that the minorities would one day be in majority and would be able to deliver justice for themselves instead of having to plead with others for it.

This newspaper was not able to independently verify the authenticity of the video. Hakim did not respond to this newspaper’s calls on Sunday.

The BJP, since Saturday morning, pounced on the allegedly problematic comment to push its own communal narrative amid the turmoil in Bangladesh.

BJP state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar, who described Hakim’s comment as “pure venom”, claimed on Sunday that the mayor expressed what he believed.

“Not only Firhad Hakim, every other Muslim MP and MLA of Trinamool want the same thing. In Muslim-majority countries, even Muslims can’t live happily. Pakistan and Bangladesh are examples,” said Majumdar.

During a public appearance on Sunday, Hakim was vague when asked for clarification about his supposed speech.

“The BJP is taking it (the comments) to a communal direction. I will not comment on this,” Hakim told journalists amid visible discomfort.

“I am an Indian and will proudly die an Indian. I am secular and will die as a proud secular,” he added, before asking journalists not to ask him further questions on the matter.

A source in Trinamool said the issue became embarrassing for Trinamool as even some of its own leaders criticised Hakim’s "comments".

Trinamool’s Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir advised Hakim to read Islamic religious texts properly.

Trinamool state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said that people should refrain from commenting until they had heard Hakim’s full statement.

“People should listen to the full speech of Firhad Hakim, in which he extensively spoke about the empowerment and uplift through education and employment of minority youths. During the speech, he made a statement that allowed the Opposition to cause controversy. I can say that Firhad Hakim is secular beyond all doubt,” said Ghosh.

Apart from the BJP, the Congress and the CPM also criticised Hakim and his party in the context of his alleged comments.