زوين نكوك Kokan News THE e-NEWSLETTER OF THE KOKANI DIASPORA COMMUNITY ISSN: 2278-5019 Volume 7, Issue 1 | January — March, 2015 www.kokannews.org Editor: Dr. Siraj Mohammed Bijle FOREWORD On the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Ismail Yusuf College (IY College), Jogeshwari, Mumbai on 1st March, 1981, Barrister A. R. Antulay (then the Chief Minister of Maharashtra) uttered these words, “A poor boy from village…” with heavy voice. The author as a student of the same college was present on the occasion and heard these words...and then pin drop silence… He was sobbing… He narrated how as a poor boy from village work hard as a student and became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This is because of IY College. He also narrates how the college has molded his life and mind and the beauty of its cosmopolitan culture, which permeates the college, one hardly thinks of its origin as Muslim foundation and institution. The broad-based culture and wide sympathies which have characterized its successive Principals, Professors and Teachers have enabled it, while keeping intact its central purpose as a seat of Islamic learning, to harmonize that purpose with the growing needs of heterogeneous student population. Perched on a palm-girt hillock, dominating the surrounding rural terrain, the IY College (the house of learning) has a picturesque natural setting. Far from the madding crowd and the noise of city life, this center of Islamic study and culture in Kokan region provides an ideal atmosphere for serious study and the pursuit of scholarship and research. I Y College was decorated everywhere on the occasion of its golden jubilee. The whole scene was like Eid, Holi, Diwali and Christmas. Barrister Anutulay Saheb arrives in helicopter and he landed on the college ground near the Gymkhana. The Principal, Dr. Purohit warmly welcomes him and proceeds to the college main building. It was fifty years after Sir Mohammed Yusuf Khot, the founder of the college; someone came to take inventory of the institution with full power. He established the Commerce faculty in the college and gave permission and fund to start new building for the benefit of poor students, who don‟t have entry into most of the colleges in their own homeland, but IY College welcomes everyone without cast and creed with open arms. Immediately after the function, Antulay left the venue to Mantralya. Within an hour the Principal of the college Dr. Purohit received telephone call from Barrister A. R. Antulay, that he has issued the GR as well as two lacs of rupees as an interim payment to start the building for commerce section. This was Antulay‟s style of functioning. Keeping the spirit of Barrister A. R. Antulay for the welfare of the poor students, Kokan News urged upon the Government of Maharashtra to build Medical, Engineering, Management and IT colleges and hostels for the benefit of poor students of Kokan Region in the campus of IY College. This will be real tribute to Sir Mohammed Yusuf Khot and Barrister A. R. Antulay and the poor sons of soil of Kokan Region. A fundraising committee of past-students can be formed to raise money to reduce the burden on the government exchequer and this should be included in five years development plan of Government of Maharashtra. The great grand children of Sir Mohammed Yusuf Khot and Anjuman-e-Islam, Mumbai can play important role in this regard as a coordinator. Dr. Siraj Mohammed Bijle IN THIS ISSUE Foreword 1 Barrister A. R. Antulay 2 Poem on Barrister A. R. Antulay [Urdu] 6 Barrister A. R. Antulay’s views on Dalit and Minority ... 7 Barrister A. R. Antulay in News 8 Sabir Omar: A Young Poet from Kokan 44 Kokan News زوـيـن نـكوـك Barrister A. R. ANTULAY By Dr. Siraj Mohammed Bijle [M. Lib. Info. Sc. Ph.D.] Information Specialist King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies [King Faisal Foundation] Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Email: [email protected] Barrister Abdul Rehman Antulay, known as A. R. Antulay, who died on Tuesday, the 2nd December, 2014, entered student politics way back in 1945, having a long political career that saw him become the first Muslim to become Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1980. Barrister A. R. Antulay Born in February 1929 at Ambet village in then Kulaba district (now Raigad), Antulay went to London from where he earned the coveted degree of Barrister-at-Law. He did his graduation in Political Science from Ismail Yusuf College, Jogeshwari affiliated to Mumbai University. On returning, he continued his political life becoming a legislator in 1962 and later serving as a minister in various capacities till 1976 when he was elevated to the Rajya Sabha, and later drew close to Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His days of glory came as Indira Gandhi, riding a crest of renewed popularity, regained power after the collapse of the Janata Party government in January 1980. Page 2 Volume 7, Issue 1 | January — March 2015 After the Maharashtra assembly elections a few months later, she handpicked the flamboyant Antulay as chief minister, the first Kokani and Muslim Chief Minister known for his secularism and shunning casteist and communal politics. Antulay, trained in the 'Sanjay Gandhi brigade', was a man in a tearing hurry, wanting to implement many things simultaneously, the poor grabbing centre stage in his plans. Abhorring delays in decision-making and implementation, the new chief minister cracked the whip on the bureaucracy. He launched a monthly financial aid scheme for poor and destitute called the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, pension and housing facilities for legislators and media persons, and many more initiatives. Later, he set up the Indira Gandhi Pratisthan Trusts which allegedly solicited donations from the builders community in return for cement quotas in those days when it was a controlled commodity. Following the expose by The Indian Express, the subsequent national furor, and an unfavorable ruling of the Bombay High Court, he was forced to resign in January 1982. However, he was exonerated of all the allegations years later, paving his way for rehabilitation in the party and in the central government, though his first love was to lead the state as chief minister again. "I had done nothing wrong. I was targeted by political rivals but they failed. I suffered some setbacks, but they could not destroy me," he later said of his victory. After his death his old adversary, acknowledging him as "an administrator par excellence", whose heart always beat for the poor and downtrodden. "He was a truly great human being. He set up the trusts for the benefit of the poorest people in society, but they became his undoing. Even during the trial, he was always amiable and soft-spoken, never harboring animosity or ill-will against anybody." Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) described former state Chief Minister A R Antulay, as a tall leader who dedicated his entire life to public service. Stating that the veteran leader's death was a great loss to the party, MPCC President Manikrao Thakre said “Antulay was sensitive to the issues of poor, destitute and backward sections and strived to ensure their rightful place in the society.” Barrister Abdul Rahaman Antulay is a social worker and a member of the Indian National Congress. During the years from 1977 and 1980, he delivered whole-hearted assistance and support to the then Prime Minister of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi during her subjugation and pursuance. He continued to be unwaveringly loyal and supportive to her. He initiated (i) Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana for the poor and downtrodden and (ii) Sanjay Gandhi Swawlamban Yojana during his Chief Minister ship in 1980-82. In order to implement these Yojonas he paid out of State treasury loans to the poor and borderline farmers upto 59 crore rupees. He is also credited for building (Shaheed) Hutatma Smarak in every village where one or more persons laid down their life for the cause of freedom. Under this project over 250 such villages in the State of Maharashtra have a (Shaheed) Hutatma Samarak. This has been a unique initiative till date. Political Career of A.R. Antulay Barrister A.R. Antulay began his career as an active social worker in 1945. As a social worker his notable achievements include construction of (i) a jetty on the bank of Savitri River, Bankot (Khadi) Creek through 'Shramdan'. He also worked with own hands along with the villagers of Ambet; (ii) road between the village Ambet and Lonere Goregaon (then in Kulaba, now in Raigad district) to connect his village to NH-17. He had a keen interest in the Social causes like service of the weaker section of the society and upliftment of the unfortunates. Barrister A.R. Antulay has also served as the former Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra. He represented the Kolaba constituency of the state of Maharashtra, India as the Congress M.P. He took an active role in forming of Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers which is an Indian public sector company at Alibag, the main town in his constituency. Page 3 Kokan News زوـيـن نـكوـك The positions held by him are sequentially; - Chief, Youth Congress, Maharashtra (1960-62); - President, District Congress Committee, Maharashtra (1962); - General Secretary, P.C.C., Maharashtra (for seven years), (1962-69); - Member, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1962-76) and (1980-89); - Chairman, Committee on Non-official Bills and Resolutions, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1962); - Chairman, Committee on Subordinate Legislation, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1967); - Chairman, Estimates Committee, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1967); - Minister of State, Law and Judiciary, Ports and Fisheries etc., - Government of Maharashtra and Elevated to Cabinet rank Minister of Law & Judiciary, Building, Communication and Housing, Government of Maharashtra (1969-1976); - Member, Rajya Sabha (1976-1980); - Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra (1980-1982); - Elected to 9th Lok Sabha (1989); - Re-elected to 10th Lok Sabha (2nd term) (1991); - Chairman, Committee on Public Undertakings (1992-93); - Member, Standing Committee, Ministry of Railways (1993-94); - Chairman, Joint Parliamentary Committee on Facilities and Remuneration to Members of Parliament (1993-95); - Union Cabinet Minister, Health and Family Welfare (also held additional charge of Water Resources during Feb.-May 1996) (June 1995 - May 1996); - Elected to 11th Lok Sabha (3rd term) (1996); - Re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (4th term) (2004); - Cabinet Minister of Minority Affairs (29 Jan.2006-onwards). A.R. Antulay as an Author A.R. Antulay has written many books that are listed below: 1. Parliamentary Privilege (compilation of his five articles published in the Times of India); 2. Mahajan Report – Uncovered 3. Appointment of a Chief Justice 4. Democracy- Parliamentary or Presidential (Compilation of his Speeches and interviews). In the history of Maharashtra’s politics and its only Muslim chief minister, Barrister Abdul Rehman Antulay, a humble Indira Gandhi loyalist played a major role in the formation of the Congress (I) and was chief minister from 1980 to 1982. Antulay was a Rajya Sabha MP when Indira picked him as the chief minister The outspoken Antulay, 85, was known to be a tough administrator and rightly called the Abbasid Caliph Harun al Rashid, who went around Mumbai at night with police officials to monitor the law and order situation. He resigned as the chief minister after falling foul of the powerful lobby, which controls the levers of power in Maharashtra. During his tenure, Antulay, changed the uniform of the police from the previous half pants to a full pant and created new districts like Latur and renamed Kulaba as Raigad. . Born at Ambet in Raigad, “Antulay Saheb” was one of the few Maharashtrian and Konkani Muslims to make their mark in the state’s politics. Antulay was educated at Ismail Yusuf College, Jogeshwari. Elder brother Ataullah, who worked in Africa and later, Ghulam Muhammed Kardane “Nawabsaheb” from Srivardhan, helped his education. Antulay lost the 1957 assembly elections and headed the Youth Congress from 1960 to 1962, when he defeated freedom fighter Nanasaheb Purohit from Srivardhan. An MLA till 1976, he had a base even in local Brahmins. Antulay was a minister of state and later a minister from 1969 to 1976. Page 4 Volume 7, Issue 1 | January — March 2015 Shri Antulay had excellent command over Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, English and Arabic. He penned a scathing indictment of the Mahajan report which overrode Maharashtra’s claims on Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka. Antulay was a four-term MP from Raigad and lost once from Aurangabad. He was the health minister under PV Narasimha Rao and the minority welfare minister under Manmohan Singh in UPA-I. Antulay’s 2009 defeat from Raigad-Ratnagiri marked the end of his political career. He made immense contribution towards the welfare and development of the state of Maharashtra and especially the Konkan region. He was highly learned, literary and hardworking political leader of the country who tirelessly strived for the welfare of the people of the country as well as Maharashtra. [ To God we belong and indeed to him we shall return ]. This path leads to IY College is turning point in the millions of life Page 5 Kokan News زوـيـن نـكوـك Page 6 Volume 7, Issue 1 | January — March 2015 Barrister A. R. Antulay’s views on Dalit and Minority Empowerment Source: Dalit and Minority Empowerment / Santosh Bhartiya. Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2008. P. 65-67 [In December, 2006 at the Balayogi Hall in the Parliament Complex at New Delhi, leaders of the marginalized congregated from across the globe committing to work for the emancipation of the dis-privileged and held intense discussions and committed to empowering the powerless of India and working towards the upliftment of Dalits and minorities. The conference was unique in many ways. Kokan News reproduced the views of Barrister A. R. Antulay, the then Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Government of India]. When I see Dr. Ambedkar's photograph, I feel proud that he hails from my province. Dr. Ambedkar has helped the whole nation when the country was suffering from a curse like untouchability. This matter was a shame on the nation. It was Ambedkar who fought against this shameful act. It was not an easy task especially during those days. He had to travel a very difficult path but he was determined to do something and by facing all the troubles he taught a lesson to the nation that was so treat a human being as a human being. If anyone asks me, what is the essence of India? Without hesitation I would say it is Baba Sahib Ambedkar. We know that in India. Dalit‟s and minorities comprise a large part of the population. They say that minorities only make up 20% of total population of the country. There are about 10-12% linguistic minorities. There is only one section in the Constitution that relates to religious and linguistic minorities. It is unfortunate that a few people in our country are spreading minority-ism. I would say that in India about one-third of the total population, that is about 33%, is minorities. Sacchar committee reports have come and there is much turmoil over it. This report is like a mirror. Look into it and see, the true face of our country will emerge. I have minorities' portfolio under me current UPA government. Today, within minorities, 15% of total population is of Muslims, They, (Muslims) are more than 50% in the religious linguistic minorities too. What does the religion of minorities teach us? It teaches us humility, humanity and sympathy, Islam means, peace, sympathy. Then what is secularism? It means that our customs are above humanity. We will not let secularism die. We will keep it alive because if secularism is alive in India, India‟s unity is alive, her freedom is alive, and we will continue to enjoy democracy in our country. I can't imagine a situation when there is no secularism in India. If we don't have secularism in this country our democracy will not be intact. The minorities' ministry has been set up to co-ordinate amongst other things, issues of minority and majority. As I said in the beginning, India is still facing curses like forwardness, backwardness and untouchability. It is our duty to overcome all these problems. I have tried to abolish the gap between minorities and majorities I listened to the common man, I waived the loans of all poor, needy and farmers, I did all this in the ca- pacity as a trustee. They say poverty is a crime, I ask if poverty is a crime then these so called rich will take their money to the heaven with them. All citizens of India should be given their rights. Our democracy, our freedom, our secularism has not been fully achieved; this will not be attained till we are not going to work for poor. In democracy we have given everyone the right to vote. But how many people, except few corporate houses, have been empowered by economic development. Those who are incapable, are handicapped, what about them? It is the duty of the government to look after them and to give them proper food and shelter. In my ministry, I made a plan called 'Niradhar Yojna'. This Yojna was for those who lacked any kind of support and were incapable of earning a decent living, so I gave them a monthly pension from the government so that they can lead their life smoothly. They can overcome their hunger. It was the job of the government. So we did it. And those, who have ability to become capable by working hard, we started self-dependency plans for them it is called 'Swavalamban Yojna'. "Swavalamban" means, self-dependency, working on your own without depending on anybody. So you can bring yourself on the top. They have everything but education because they didn't have money to raise their children. We have to give them more loans so that they can become independent we should not charge any interest from them. As I said, after 'Niradhar Yojna we formed 'Swavalamban Yojna; but unfortunately, it was stopped after my tenure. They wanted to stop 'Niradhar Yojna as well, but people came on the roads in protest against this, which is why it still continues. In Maharashtra, if anyone needs money to become independent we should provide them with money, whether it is 5,000 rupees or 10 lakh rupees, but they should not be charged any interest and moreover they should be given time for 10 years to repay it. In our minority department, these things are being discussed and there are banks also who are trying to help with it. We had to do so because they are not doing their job sincerely. There is a Maulana Azad foundation. There is a great need to educate the children of the poor and minorities. In villages, there is huge property of the waqf boards. If these properties can be used properly and given to the common Muslims, then they don't have to look to anybody else for help and the government's burden will also be reduced. Thousands of acres of land have been taken over through scams. Amongst these scammers there are a few of our people also. What can we say to others? But we should make complaints, at least, to ours. There is a great need for amending the rules that govern the waqf boards. In the last 11 months I have pursued this a lot and we will try to monitor all waqf boards' properties, whether it is l000 years old or from before the Partition or after Independence. I will see to it that this property should be utilized in the favour of the deserving class. After this exercise government's burden will be reduced. I would again demand that banks must give at least 15% of loans to the minorities whether it is private bank or government bank. To achieve this we must have great will power. You can get a lot of work done on the basis of your image but to create a good image you shall have a good character also, if you don't have a good character your subordinates will not respect you and you cannot create a good image amongst them and if your impression is not good on them you cannot control these people. In the last I want to say that the fight between our neighboring countries must come to an end. I appeal to the countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and all SAARC countries that if they live peacefully and with friendship I am sure we can become biggest power in the world. Today's super powers do not want to loose their superiority and they want us to see as fighting amongst ourselves. Fights amongst Hindu, Muslim, Dalit‟s, were not found earlier, now their houses are burnt and destroyed. To stop all this fractions between minorities and the majority, both have to co-operate and once we started cooperating I am sure we can capture new heights. (Union Minister) Page 7 Kokan News زوـيـن نـكوـك The President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam administering the Oath (Cabinet Minister) to Shri A. R. Antulay in New Delhi on January 29, 2006 Page 8 Volume 7, Issue 1 | January — March 2015 Page 9 Kokan News زوـيـن نـكوـك December 03, 2014 Page 10