Jolt to Congress as ex-CM, minority face AR Antulay dissents

In a jolt to the Congress, former chief minister Abdul Rehman Antulay has lashed out at the party, calling Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi "immature" and declared his support for Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) candidates from the Raigad and Maval constituencies. Antulay (85), who enjoys support from Maharashtrians Muslims, especially the Marathi-speaking Konkani Muslims and even Hindus on the Konkan coast, is miffed at being sidelined in his party and at his traditional Raigad Lok Sabha seat being surrendered to the NCP.

In 2009, Antulay, who was the union minority affairs minister, was defeated by the Shiv Sena's Anant Gite, who was supported by the PWP. Now, the PWP has nominated former NCP men Ramesh Kadam from Raigad and Laxman Jagtap from neighboring Maval.

Once seen as the stormy petrel of Maharashtra's politics, Antulay, who was a union minister and a four-term Lok Sabha MP and had stayed loyal to Indira Gandhi in the aftermath of the Emergency, attacked the Congress for being a party of "ungrateful" people. Antulay, who had played a pivotal role in the formation of the Congress (Indira), also praised the Arvind Kejriwal led AAP. "He (Rahul Gandhi) is not mature.

There is little difference between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. They are like two sides of the same coin," said Antulay, the only Muslim chief minister of Maharashtra, while speaking to dna. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Antulay noted how the Congress (Indira) was formed in his 2, Janpath bungalow in Delhi, and expressed disappointment about the Raigad constituency-- formerly called Kulaba and represented by him four times in the Lok Sabha-- being handed over to the NCP for water resources minister Sunil Tatkare to contest from.

The Congress also relinquished claim over Antulay's Srivardhan constituency for Tatkare in 2009. "They have not been humane," said Antulay, adding that however, the BJP had shown due deference to party patriarch L.K Advani . "But, in the Congress, all are ungrateful," said Antulay, adding that none in the party had bothered to consult him. Antulay, who was close to Sanjay Gandhi, pointed to how he had decided nominations after the formation of the Congress (I), rued that however, he had not been consulted while deciding on his constituencies. "I feel that neither the Congress or BJP will come to power... a person like Deve Gowda (a third front consensus candidate may become the PM)," said Antulay, a barrister from Lincoln's Inn in London, who had friends across the political spectrum including late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who campaigned for him during the assembly by-elections from Srivardhan.

The maverick Antulay, who was known for his post-midnight visits to keep an eye on the law and order situation, had to step down as the CM in 1982 after allegations of favouring donors to the Indira Gandhi Pratibha Prathisthan in grant of cement quotas. In is tenure, Antulay, who found himself in the powerful Maratha lobby's cross-hairs, had promised to bring back Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's famous "Bhawani" sword from the UK.

"I have given them (PWP) my blessings," said Antulay. "That I have been sidelined is obvious. The entire district has been surrendered to the NCP....How can you feel when someone takes over your house?" said Antulay, adding that otherwise, he was amenable to any Congress leader being nominated from Raigad. "I feel they (AAP) got 28 seats (in Delhi) due to the love of the people.... they worked well in the 39 days that they were in power.

They did not stick to power," said Antulay, who had kicked up a storm by alluding to the role of Hindu fundamentalists in the death of ATS chief Hemant Karkare in the 26/11 terror attacks.

dhaval.kulkarni@dnaindia.net