Former Vice President Hamid Ansari has been in the midst of a controversy after it was reported that he had attended a program in Kerala, which was organised by a violent Islamist outfit.
The seminar named “Role of Women in Making a Humane Society” was co-organised by the women’s wing of the radical Islamic outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).
In 2010 the “activists” of this organisation were held for chopping off the hand of a Professor after he allegedly insulted Prophet Mohammed. This outfit has also been accused of carrying out Love Jihad in the state of Kerala.
Ansari was later also presented a memento by the PFI Chairman, E Aboobacker:
After many expressed outrage over the former Vice President’s decision to share the dais along with the members of such a radical organisation, he has now come up with a peculiar excuse to justify has decision.
According to an article published in Outlook, Ansari has claimed that he had gone to the Kerala event as a “state guest” and no police officer has warned him against attending the event. He in a telephonic interview to Outlook told that he was invited to the event by the Delhi based, “Institute of objective studies” which was the co-organiser of the event. He claimed that they had pitched him the event by stating that they were organising a study on status and role of women in making a human society. and the focus was to be on Muslim women.
He then claimed that him being the former VP, the Kerala government had made the necessary travel and security arrangements. For that he met various senior police officers but he claimed no-one warned him or mentioned the 2nd organiser (the women’s wing of the PFI).
Such a response raises a couple of serious questions. First, why did Hamid Ansari being such a senior public figure who held a very important public office, not himself thoroughly carry out a background check of the event considering the fact that he would have been its focal point. Secondly, why didn’t the Kerala government while making required security checks not warn Ansari that the event which he is attending has been co-organised by a known radical organisation.
Does it mean that the Kerala government has turned a blind eye to the radicals of the state or is allegedly even allowing them to gain legitimacy in public sphere?
It also remains to be seen if Ansari himself takes legal action against the “Institute of Objective Studies” for keeping him in the dark about the PFI involvement in the event.
