Non inclusion of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Anniversary in the list of the days to be celebrated in 2016 is against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s own resolve and declaration of observing 2016 as the year of equality and harmony.
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: The BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government in Maharashtra has decided to not include India’s first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in its list of 26 anniversaries of National personalities and days of significance that it wants all government offices to celebrate.
Through its circular on Monday, the state notified all government institutions to celebrate birth or death anniversaries in 2016 of 25 personalities and three other days of significance.
That means there will be 23 days of celebrations for anniversaries of National figures (Death anniversary of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev to be observed on same day on March 23) and three other anniversaries – Day against Terrorism and Violence ( May 21), Sadbhavna Day (August 20) and Constitution Day ( November 26).
The notification also states specifically that even if anniversaries fall on holidays or second/ fourth Saturday, the institutions ought to observe anniversaries.
However, this list misses the name of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad whose anniversary on November 11 is celebrated nationwide as ‘National Education Day’. Removal of Maulana’s name means that no name of Muslim personality is on the list; giving a sense that either Muslims have not participated in the building of nation or it is an attempt to wipe out their contribution.
Non inclusion of Azad’s Anniversary in the list of the days to be celebrated in 2016 is against Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s own resolve and declaration of observing 2016 as the year of equality and harmony.
“The state government will observe 2016 as the year of equality and harmony and make special efforts to reach out to Dalits, Tribals and people from the lower strata of society,” Fadnavis had said on May 6, 2015 at a function organised to present Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samaj Bhushan Awards.
Nonetheless, state has taken all due care to include Dalit faces in the list but has categorically avoided Muslim name by not even including Maulana Azad who happened to be India’s first Education Minister and a recipient of the posthumous Bharat Ratna award. He had laid the foundation for moving towards an educated India by serving as a Minister for 11 years after Independence.
This year even the central government virtually forgot to offer gratitude on the occasion of 127th birth anniversary of Azad. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not pay tribute to him on November 11 , even as he wished the nation on the occasion of Diwali.
Firoz Bakht Ahmed, columnist and grandnephew of Azad, has already expressed displeasure against the Central government for forgetting Maulana Azad and lamented that except for Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) that celebrates his anniversary every year, nobody is concerned about Azad.
Only couple of months ago, Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla expressed regrets that previous governments had failed to give due recognition to Maulana Azad for his role in transforming education in independent India.
“…I would like to tell you that it is unfortunate and regrettable that his contribution and thoughts are not remembered — neither by governments nor the people. He never got recognition from previous (successive) governments for what he did “, she had said on September 20, 2015 at a function organized at ICCR.
List of Names included in Maharashtra government notification