Hakim struggles to limit 'Mini-Pak' effect

Kolkata: Metiabruz resident Md Qasim takes pride in introducing himself from "mini-Lucknow". On Saturday morning, when he learnt that Firhad 'Bobby' Hakim had likened his home of over 45 years to "mini-Pakistan", he was livid.
Seething disapproval from a large section of citizens in the Port area on Saturday forced Hakim to distance himself from the "mini-Pakistan" statement he apparently made in an interview to Pakistan's 'Dawn'.On a day that the Port area went to the polls, it prompted his colleagues in the constituency to term his "rather late retraction" as a damage control exercise that could boomerang on the party.
"I want to categorically state that I did not make any comment where I compared Metiabruz or Kidderpore to Pakistan. The journalist who had come to interview me said that the streets here looked like those of Karachi. I replied by saying that she must be feeling at home then," said Hakim.
Hakim, who is battling the fallout of the Narada sting, went on to launch an offensive on BJP for "communalising the election" by stoking passion over the "mini-Pakistan" remark. "When Modi goes to Pakistan, it is hailed as a masterstroke in foreign policy. When a Muslim man like me does not even make an offensive comment, I am expected to clarify it again and again. This shows how desperate the BJP has become in order to make a mark in these elections," said the outgoing minister.
Senior Trinamool leaders in Port admit that the "mini-Pakistan" tag for the predominantly Muslim Kidderpore-Metiabruz belt - once referred to as "mini-Lucknow" for its tehzeeb and adab - had not gone down well with a large section of residents, many of whom are descendants of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh who was exiled here by the British in 1857.
The Kidderpore-Metiabruz area is on the south western fringes of Kolkata. Mosques and imambaras flank both sides of the roads. Biryani, here, is the favourite streetside food.
A direct descendant of the king who stays in south Kolkata said that Hakim's remarks, "if he has actually made them", did a disservice to the people of the area. "The king infused Lucknawi culture into Metiabruz and in Kolkata. If you observe the language spoken in some pockets, the food habits and the bustle on the roads, you may think you have been transported to Lucknow. Comparing this place to Pakistan is not fair," said the royal descendant.
Among his many gifts to Kolkata, one of the biggest contributions of Shah was the introduction of biryani to the foodscape. The light classical music genre of thumri, which the Nawab is said to have introduced, continues to be popular.
A senior Trinamool leader in the area, who is well aware of the history and character of Metiabruz, said Hakim's comment was not appreciated by a large section of Muslims. "Such comments make the community feel alienated from the mainstream. Some right wing outfits frequently make such comments about Muslim areas. They feel that Bobbyda's remarks will lend some credence to such insinuations when they have no basis," said the Port veteran.