PM stopped Army out of fear of ‘big country’: West Bengal Minister Firhad

West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim on Saturday courted controversy by stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stopped the armed forces during Operation Sindoor “out of fear of a big country”.

Attaching a video of Hakim’s purported byte to reporters, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya slammed Hakim, a senior functionary of TMC, and accused him of making a “disgraceful attack” on the PM on the instruction of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In the video, Hakim was heard telling reporters, “The PM had halted the Indian Army’s barrage of attacks against Pakistan out of fear of a big nation, like a ‘kapurush’ (coward). How can the PM claim he has done anything big? How can he take credit for Operation Sindoor?”

Countering Hakim, Malviya posted on his X handle, “Listen carefully to what Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim is saying — the same man who once infamously called parts of Kolkata ‘Mini Pakistan’ and openly harbours dreams of turning India into an Islamic state. Now, under clear instructions from his leader Mamata Banerjee, he has launched a vile and disgraceful attack on the PM. He shamelessly claimed that PM Modi had no role in giving Pakistan a befitting reply through Operation Sindoor. He went a step further and labelled him a ‘coward’ for observing a ceasefire and not extending Operation Sindoor further,” he added.

“Frankly, this rhetoric sounds less like an Indian leader and more like a Pakistani politician trying to belittle the Indian government and its leadership. Such statements expose the mindset of those who put partisan hate above national interest. The people of India will see through this,” he added.