On Friday, Hakim put in his papers with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and you can be sure it has the Trinamool Congress rethinking its urban grip. The veteran TMC figure made it clear he couldn’t do the job the way he wanted to, so he asked for the go-ahead to step down and will be doing so with his head up.
Why the resignation matters
You don’t have to look far to see that who runs the KMC is part of the party’s make-up. They’ve had the reins in the state capital since 2010, and it has been their way of making connections and delivering on the ground.
This comes at a time when there is some restlessness in the party after the West Bengal assembly results. With a few councillors in the KMC having also put in their notice of late, the rank and file are a bit on edge about what this means for the city’s stability.
And he is not alone in leaving. Just a day before, Krishna Chakraborty was gone as mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, for personal reasons. Two in a row like that makes you think there is some flux in the works.
Key developments at a glance
A run-down of the main points:
– Hakim is no longer Kolkata’s mayor as of Friday
– He put it down to being unable to do the job right
– Mamata Banerjee gave him her nod
– TMC has called the shots at the KMC for over a decade
– Then there was the resignation of Bidhannagar’s mayor, Krishna Chakraborty
Hakim’s explanation and message
Hakim is calling it a matter of principle. “The mayoral chair is a responsibility, not just a post,” he said, one he can no longer carry. He made a point of saying he had a word with the party’s top, Mamata Banerjee, before making the call.
He has some thanks to give, too, and did so in public. He was put in the office back in December 2018 when the then-mayor, Sovan Chatterjee, left in a hurry. “I am leaving with my head held high,” he was at pains to add.
Record and legacy at KMC
Looking back on the seven and a half years or so he has been in charge, Hakim pointed to how they got through cyclone Amphan and the pandemic. He gave due credit to the people and the officials at the KMC for keeping things afloat in tough times.
An MLA and ex-minister, he made history as the first Muslim to be mayor of Kolkata since we were free. He is fond of talking about the likes of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, Netaji and Bidhan Roy as those who came before him.
In a city where the KMC’s 150-year story is part of Bengal’s own, the person in the mayor’s office is more than just a functionary. There is a certain weight to it.
What this means for the TMC and Kolkata
For the TMC, it is a sign of the strain after the assembly poll. Losing a well-known face from the minority community and an organiser of his calibre is not going to make it any easier to put on a united front in Kolkata.
As for the public, the concern is whether the administration will keep running. Hakim has handed his letter to KMC Chairperson Mala Roy, so it is in the system now, even if the political waters are still churning.
There is talk from inside the party that business as usual must continue, but with these kind of exits, eyes are on the TMC to see how it mends its ways in the civic sphere.
What comes next
All will be in how fast they plug the hole and put down any factional rumbles. You can bet the KMC will be under a microscope; you need a firm hand for any kind of service or planning to get done.
Hakim is putting a period to it, not making a scene. But the rest of the story is yet to be told.
