NEW DELHI: TMC minister Firhad Hakim sparked a heated exchange in the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday by inviting BJP legislator Agnimitra Paul to switch sides to the ruling party in the state. The remarks, made during a discussion on ‘Constitution Day’ and set against the backdrop of the TMC’s sweeping by-election victory, drew a sharp retort from Paul, who accused the TMC of exhibiting a “mentality of domination.”
Hakim, addressing the House, seized the opportunity to take a jibe at the BJP over the by-election results. “So much mudslinging and false propaganda against the TMC, and still the result is 6-0,” he said, referring to the TMC’s clean sweep in the by-polls.
Turning directly to Agnimitra Paul, he said, “I have something to say to you. Many people have left your party and joined ours. Why don’t you do the same? If you don’t, you might even lose in your own constituency in the next elections.”
Paul fired back with a defiant response. “I have a certain ideology and principle, which is why I am in BJP,” she said.
“Through his comments, Firhad Hakim has once again exposed the TMC’s mentality of domination. He seems to have already assumed I will lose in the 2026 elections. If my party doesn’t give me a ticket, I won’t go around criticizing it. I would advise Hakim to focus on respecting women and learn how to honour woman opposition leaders,” Paul added.
Paul had earlier criticised the state government for alleged constitutional violations, according to news agency PTI. Following her address, Hakim launched his counterattack in which he invited Paul to switch allegiance.
Paul, who won the Asansol South seat in the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly elections, was defeated in the 2022 Asansol Lok Sabha by-election and in the 2024 general elections, where she contested from Medinipur.
Former Union minister Babul Supriyo and BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy, both of whom joined the TMC after the 2021 Assembly elections. In that election, the BJP secured 77 seats in the 294-member Assembly, but its tally dwindled to 69 after multiple by-polls and defections.
Held on November 13, the bypolls saw the TMC retain five of the six contested seats and wrest control of Madarihat from the BJP. The bypolls were a critical test for the ruling party, especially with protests intensifying around the RG Kar issue.
Despite these challenges, the TMC emerged victorious across both rural and urban constituencies, maintaining its stronghold in South Bengal while also making inroads in North Bengal, where the BJP had previously won Madarihat in 2021.