A R Antulay, Ex CM of Maharashtra and the minorities minister in the current Central Government, questioned the killing of Hemant Karkare by the terrorist during the 26/11 Mumbai attack. This has lent credibility to the murmurs in the Indian Urdu press and the howls from Pakistan!But what made Antulay, a politician not known to suffer from a foot-in-the-mouth syndrome, make such a statement? 3M guesses that the octogenarian politician does not have the guarantee that he will get the Congress ticket in the next general elections. After this controversy, he knows that Congress can’t throw him out or deny a ticket due to the fear of loosing the Muslim vote.
Surprisingly, Antulay never played the “Muslim Card” in his heydays!
2 comments:
Abdul Rehman Antulay was always a careful man. Even at press conferences he responded in a studied manner to the most robust questions - I should know, he was sickeningly evasive if he chose to be that; I had covered him enough to know this trait - and never tripped.
If he said what he said in parliament and outside, it was mischief and nothing else. He has so far been able to show little as minister for minority affairs and apparently treated it as a sinecure which he is now risking.
What could that mischief be?
1. He is unhappy at the sudden closing of ranks by all communities, post-26/11;
2. He - as probably rightly said in the blog - insuring his seat or making it possible to secure one for his nephew-cum-son-in-law Mustaq Antuylay who is very much the clone of ARA; and/ or
3. Stir up the communal couldron of which Mumbai is getting tired;
4.Just lost his head.
The fourth is hard to believe is possible; if nothing, he is wily. But the Times of India used the right word to descibe his views as 'rant' makes me wonder.
Not quite par for course, this development in Antulay's political life.
The RGV affair, the Antulay affair etc. are in piece with PM Rajiv's remarks about a big tree creating a big impact after a fall. It is the Congress party's way of rubbing salt in wounds.
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