Ali Anwar

Ali Anwar Ansari (born 16 January 1954 in Dumraon, Buxar district) is an Indian journalist, social activist and politician. He is the founder of Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz, concerned with fighting discrimination against lower-caste and Dalit Muslims.

For the Bangladeshi writer and translator, see Ali Anwar (writer).

Ali Anwar Ansari
Former MP of Rajya Sabha for Bihar
In office
3 April 2006 – 4 December 2017
Personal details
Born (1954-01-16) 16 January 1954
Dumraon, Bihar, India
NationalityIndian
Political partyLoktantrik Janata Dal
Spouse(s)Jamila Bano (m.1975)
ChildrenFour Sons
ParentsAbdul Mannan Ansari
Shahidan Bibi
ProfessionPolitical and Social Worker, Journalist and Writer

He was a two-time Member of the Parliament of India for Bihar in the Rajya Sabha,  representing Janata Dal (United), until his expulsion from the party in September 2017 for opposing the party leadership decision to break from the Mahagathbandan and instead partner with BJP.

Early life and journalism career

Anwar was born in 1954 into a weaver family in Dumraon, Bihar. His father was a mill worker, involved in trade union activism via the Communist Party of India affiliated All India Trade Union Congress. This influenced Anwar into becoming involved in leftist politics as a high-school student and became a card-carrying member of the CPI.[1]

Anwar became the chief reporter for CPI's Hindi newspaper, Janashakti, seeking to document and publicize the state of the poor under feudalism and the fight against caste and class oppression. Anwar, however became disillusioned with Communism as he felt it was also dominated by upper caste leaders who were themselves prone to casteism. In his view, CPI's focusing solely on class and ignoring caste perpetuates caste-based hierarchy. He stopped being a member of CPI after 20 years.[1]

He continued his journalism work with Navbharat Times, Jansatta and then Swatantra Bharat, still focusing on caste oppression amongst both Hindus and Muslims. He broke stories on how there were separate barracks and kitchens for Police officers of different castes in Patna and how people of upper castes would receive fake Backward Caste certificates to obtain government jobs.[1][2]

In 1996, Anwar won the KK Birla Foundation fellowship for journalism to study the lives of Dalit and backward caste Muslims in Bihar. This reporting led to a book titled Masavat ki Jang (Fight for Equality)[1][2][3]

Pasmanda activism

In 1998, Anwar formed the Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (PMM) to serve as an umbrella organization fighting to deliver rights to Dalit and backward Muslims. Anwar's argument, as stated in Masavat ki Jang is that Indian Muslims are not a homogenous community and existing organizations only serve upper-caste Muslims. The book details the monopolization by upper-caste 'Ashraf' leaders of civil society organizations such as madrasas and personal law boards, representative institutions (Parliament and State Assemblies) and departments, ministries and institutions that claim to work for Muslims (minority affairs, Waqf boards, Urdu academies, AMU, Jamia Millia Islamia, etc). He also documents the caste-based violence and discrimination against Dalit and backward Pasmanda (Persian for those who have fallen behind) Muslims. Anwar's key demands were -

  1. Reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to enable the rise of an educated leadership
  2. Inclusion of Dalit Muslims and Christians in the list of Scheduled Castes as was done for Sikh and Neo-Buddhist Dalits in 1950, to allow these groups to fight elections in reserved constituencies
  3. Social reform initiatives to encourage inter-caste marriages.[3][4][5]

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Muslims in Bihar had electorally consolidated behind Laloo Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal. In the lead up to the 2005 legislative elections, Anwar's PMM and other Pasmanda leaders heavily criticized Laloo's tenure and the lack of progress made by Pasmanda muslims therein. Anwar threw his support behind Nitish Kumar's JD(U)-BJP alliance. and helped Kumar and his alliance to victory. In power, Kumar implemented policies reserving seats in local bodies as well as educational scholarships for backward Muslims. This This helped breach Yadav's hold on Muslim voters and drove a portion of the Muslim voter base to Kumar. Anwar's endorsement of Nitish Kumar and drew heavy criticism from Muslim organizations including from within the Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz because of Kumar's alliance with the Hindu-nationalist BJP. Anwar defended his decision by stating Kumar was not a Hindu nationalist.[6]

Organizations similar to PMM in other states like Maharashtra have increasingly focused on social and economic improvement among backward Muslims with initiatives to address landlessness, lack of education, poverty, and unemployment. PMM has continued to focus on political goals such as reservations. This has attracted criticism as reservations only benefit urban educated people, whereas the large majority of Pasmanda Muslims in Bihar and rural, landless and uneducated.[7]

Political career

Anwar was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a member of Janata Dal (United) and served two terms until his expulsion from the party in September 2017. He was suspended from his party for attending a meeting of opposition parties called by Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi. As a result, he was expelled from Rajya Sabha. Anwar had strongly opposed the party leadership decision to break from the Mahagathbandan and instead partner with BJP.[8][9]

Later he became the founding member of Loktantrik Janata Dal along with Sharad Yadav parting ways from Janata Dal (United), due to its alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party in Bihar.[10][11]

References
  1. Yoginder Sikand (November 2005). "Voice of the oppressed". Dalit Drishti. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  2. "Shri Ali Anwar Ansari". Parliament of India. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  3. Khalid Anis Ansari (17 July 2013). "Muslims that 'minority politics' left behind". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. Rajesh Kumar Nayak (2013). "Quest for Equality and Identity: The 'pasmanda' Muslim Discourse in Post- 1947 Bihar". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. Indian History Congress. 74 (Vol. 74 (2013)): 964–965. JSTOR 44158899.
  5. Hilal Ahmed (2020). "Politics of Constitutionalism: Muslims as a Minority". In Volker Kaul; Ananya Vajpeyi (eds.). Minorities and Populism – Critical Perspectives from South Asia and Europe. Springer Nature. pp. 99–103. ISBN 9783030340988.
  6. Manish K Jha; Pushpendra (2016). "Governing Caste and Managing Conflicts: Bihar 1990-2011". In Ranabir Samaddar (ed.). Government of Peace: Social Governance, Security and the Problematic of Peace. Routledge. p. 195. ISBN 9781317125389.
  7. Tanweer Fazal (2020). "Caste, Religion and Recognition: Trajectories of Pasmanda Muslim movements". In Sobin George; Manohar Yadav; Anand Inbanathan (eds.). Change and Mobility in Contemporary India: Thinking M. N. Srinivas Today. Routledge. pp. 130–131. ISBN 9781138334304.
  8. "Notice issued to Ali Anwar on disqualification plea". ANI. 3 January 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  9. V. Venkatesan (5 January 2018). "Punishing Dissent". Frontline. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. Newly-launched LJD calls Oppn parties to unite against BJP
  11. "Ex-Janata Dal Member Sharad Yadav Launches 'Loktantrik Janata Dal" Party". NDTV.com. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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