Arif Khan, who advocated abolition of Muslim Personal Law Board, becomes Kerala governor

coastaldigest.com web desk
September 1, 2019

Newsroom, Sept 1: Arif Mohammed Khan, a controversial Muslim leader, who advocated abolition of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and three other senior BJP leaders were appointed Governors on Sunday while Kalraj Mishra was shifted from Himachal Pradesh to the key state of Rajasthan where the Congress is in power.

While Khan heads to Kerala Raj Bhavan, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B S Koshiyari (Maharashtra), former Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya (Himachal Pradesh) and BJP Tamil Nadu chief Tamilisai Soundararajan (Telangana) have also been appointed as Governors by President Ram Nath Kovind. However, the government has not named a Governor for Karnataka even as the term of incumbent Vajubhai has ended. 

A former Congress leader Khan had in 1986 walked out of the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet over the Shah Bano case. He also has been the most vocal supporter of the controversial law against Triple Talaq by the Narendra Modi government.

He quit the cabinet when the government reversed Supreme Court's Shah Bano verdict granting alimony to a divorced Muslim woman. A staunch critic of Shariah, he had also asked the Congress to abolish Muslim Personal Law. 

Over the years, he has stuck to his conviction that secular parties blatantly playing the Muslim card would only harm the interests of the community.

Khan hit the headlines recently when he said PM Modi quoted a former Congress leader as having said it was not the duty of their party to uplift Muslims and “if they want to lie in the gutter let them be”. The remark the Prime Minister referred to, Khan claimed, was made by PV Narasimha Rao, then a Union minister.

"6-7 years ago, during a TV interview, I was asked whether any pressure was brought upon me to take back my resignation (in connection with Shah Bano case). I told them after resigning, I disappeared from my house." Khan added, “I further said, next morning at Parliament, I met Arun Singh who repeatedly told me I was correct morally but this would cause a lot of inconvenience to the party. Mr Narishma Rao told me ‘tum bahut ziddi ho. Shah Bano ne bhi apna stand badal liya hai’.”

In an interview with a national news portal, Khan was all praise for the Prime Minister after the BJP swept to power and PM Modi assured of taking everyone along. 

Khan began his career as a student leader and became a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly at the age of 26. He later joined the Indian National Congress and became a member of the Lok Sabha in 1980 and in 1984.

From energy to civil aviation, Khan has held several portfolios. After quitting the Congress, he joined the Janata Dal and BSP. In 2004, he joined the BJP but left three years later, complaining that he felt ignored in the party. 

Comments

abdullah
 - 
Monday, 2 Sep 2019

  BJP loves such name sake muslims who have sold their Iman for money / position.    He is not less than Mir Jaafar.   He is family member of MJ Akbar, Shahnawaz, Mukhtar ansari etc etc who have no respect by any muslims as they are anti islam.   

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News Network
February 24,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 24: Raising questions about the situation in Kashmir, senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Sidddaramaiah on Monday asked the BJP heading the union government to prove 'normalcy' by hosting US President Donald Trump's event in the valley.

If @BJP4India feels Kashmir has returned to Normalcy, & If @BJP4India feels that there is no govt orchestrated violence. Now is the time to prove the same by hosting @realDonaldTrump's event at Kashmir, Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Amid concerns raised by opposition parties, the government has said efforts have been made to restore normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir which faced months of restrictions after its special status under Article 370 was scrapped in August last year.

Siddaramaiah, who is Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly, in another tweet hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the long wall built near the airport in Ahmedabad allegedly to block the view of a slum, ahead of Trump's visit.

It is time for @realDonaldTrump to get inspired from @narendramodi. Inspiration to build decorative walls to hide not so decorative life!! he tweeted. The opposition Congress in Gujarat had accused the BJP- ruled civic body in Ahmedabad of building the 500-meter long wall to block the view of a slum colony. Refuting the allegations, AMC officials had said the construction of the wall, around four feet in height, was approved much before Trump's Gujarat visit was finalised.

Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and a high-level delegation, arrived in Ahmedabad around noon on Monday for a little less than a 36-hour-long trip.

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News Network
May 3,2020

Bengaluru, May 3: Renowned Kannada poet KS Nissar Ahmed passed away on May 3.

Winner of several awards including Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry, Rajyotsava Award, Padma Shri among others, Ahmed died at the age of 84

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News Network
March 15,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 15: The Karnataka government on Saturday said it would advice IT companies to allow employees to work from home as most coronavirus  affected patients or their relatives were from this sector.

"If anybody (IT companies) asks (employees to work in the office),I will speak to them through the deputy chief minister so that they take steps to issue a definite order. We have very clearly said, Stay Home, stay safe," medical education minister Dr K Sudhakar said. He recalled that the chief minister himself had issued a strict advisory to allow employees work from home.

The minister said the IT sector understands the gravity of the situation because they are educated, have travelled abroad and have more exposure to information world. "No action," he said to a question on what action would be taken against companies who do not follow the instructions.

"There is no action to be taken. We have not promulgated any law. It should be a kind of a cohesive approach from the government and the responsible citizen," he said.

The minister said he had also acted on the advice of Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, who had told him that all areas where public and students gather, including malls, theatres, schools and colleges, should be closed.

Sudhakar claimed that the woman whose husband had tested positive for cornavirus here, had flown straight to Delhi from the city and had not come out of Bengaluru airport. He said the newly-wed couple came to Bengaluru airport on March 8 night and early on March 9, she flew alone to Delhi. From there she travelled to Agra by train. She did not come out of the airport, said the minister.

To a question on legal action being contemplated against her, the minister said he would take a call said he was not thinking of legal action at present and would take a call only after the woman, who has also tested positive for the virus, comes out of isolation. He insisted that the purpose of getting details was not to scare people.

On the preparedness in Kalaburagi, where the first Coronavirus death in India was reported, he said the administration had 'clamped down" the entire district. Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of Ballari district ordered cancellation of tourists' entry to the world heritage site of Hampi from March 15 to 22 to prevent further spread of the virus.

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