NB Twitter Scan | The reality of Maulana Azad

Shall we talk about Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's heroism? A thread follows. The source will be given at the end. All the words are quoted verbatim from the source. Enjoy! Maulana was divine only in so far as his vast knowledge of Muslim religious lore was concerned. For the rest, he was a man of the world who loved the good things in life.

 

 

 

In 1945, some people reported to Gandhiji that the Maulana was drinking regularly in jail. Here's how he supported his own community. On 22 June 1946, the Maulana had written a private letter to Viceroy Lord Wavell assuring him that, as Congress President, he would see to it that no Muslim name was included in the Congress list for the interim government. When Maulana visited Germany, he stayed at the embassy in Cologne as the guest of Ambassador A.C.N. Nambiar who set up a small bar in Maulana's room with plenty of whiskies, brandy, Moselle white wine, Rhine red wine, and French vintage champagne. The Maulana especially liked champagne while abroad. Nambiar discovered that the Maulana was most happy to be left alone in his room surrounded by the bottles.

 

 

 

Nambiar had only one complaint. He had invited several important Germans, ministers, etc., for a dinner in honor of the Maulana. Immediately after the dinner the Maulana sneaked out and remained in his room alone sipping champagne. The same thing happened later in London where the Maulana stayed at the High Commissioner's residence as the guest of Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, who gave a dinner in honor of the Maulana. The guests included Sir Anthony Eden, Lord Mountbatten, and several other dignitaries. The moment dinner was over, the Maulana quietly disappeared without attracting anyone's notice. In Delhi, the Maulana never attended a dinner party. He came to the PM's house only for lunches in honor of important foreign dignitaries. At Cabinet meetings, which were normally fixed for 5 p.m. or soon after, the Maulana would get up at the stroke of six, regardless of the importance of the subject under discussion, and leave. Soon he would be before his whisky, soda and ice, and a plate of samosas. Only a few persons were allowed to see him while he was drinking. They included Nehru, Aruna Asaf Ali, and Humayun Kabir & a Private Secretary whom he personally liked. Nehru avoided seeing him in the evenings. One day Maulana's favorite Private Secretary came to see me privately. He told me that he was worried about the Maulana because he was imbibing half a bottle of whisky every evening. The Private Secretary told me that the only person the Maulana would listen to was the PM. He asked me, "Can't Panditji speak to the Maulana and ask him to limit his pegs?" When I spoke to Nehru, he simply smiled. As a departmental minister, the Maulana was a disaster, as Gandhiji had feared. He made no contribution to education. He left everything to the trio—Humayun Kabir, K.G. Saidayin, and Ashfaque Hussain. Around 1956, while the PM was in London, a telegram came from Cabinet Secretary Sukthankar saying that the Maulana was insisting on being officially referred to as Acting PM. Nehru replied that there was no such thing as Acting PM as long as he was alive.

 

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The Maulana was not wholly free from communalism. In the selection -of candidates for the 1952 general elections, the Maulana would arrive with lots of slips containing Muslim names and passionately plead for them. I have referred to Maulana's book "India Wins Freedom." The Maulana, who had already lost his credibility, had dictated the book in the evenings to Humayun Kabir when he was inebriated. When released to the public, it should be treated with the caution it deserves. This is but a tiny slice of Maulana Azad's "heroism" that folks like Rana Ayub celebrate. Source for the thread: M.O. Mathai's memoirs. Have a great day ahead!