Arif Mohammed Khan, a former cabinet minister in the union of India who had several portfolios ranging from energy to civil aviation, termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the ‘Man of the Moment’ and the ‘Need of the Hour

Arif Mohammed Khan, a former cabinet minister in the union of India who had several portfolios ranging from energy to civil aviation, termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the ‘Man of the Moment’ and the ‘Need of the Hour. It is to be mentioned that Mr. A.M. Khan is actively involved in reforming religious ideas according to the present world.

Of late, he is in the news for the Supreme Court Verdict on the abolishment of ‘Triple Talaq’ as he was at the vanguard for being the counsel for the All Indian Muslim Women Personal Law Board. Something very similar to what Raja Ram Mohan Roy did for the Hindus in the 18th Century, he has always supported reformation within Muslims and is now taking rapid strides for eradicating Polygamy, which is practised by certain sections of his community.

“The real hero is not me, but the ordinary Muslim women who fought against ‘Triple Talaq’, which was nothing but an oppressive custom. I hail PM Modi for helping these women to secure the judgement of the Supreme Court in their favour. According to the law of nature, certain elements are engendered out of necessity. Modiji is the ‘Necessity of the Moment’ and was destined to arrive for this era. So there is no doubt that whatever is happening in the country now is the necessity of the moment and will not change with my wishes or hopes. There is a saying that when the moments are really tough, people blame the almighty because he is creating that scenario. But I don’t blame any particular moment.”

Despite his close affiliations with the Congress, he categorically maintained that the former Prime Minister’s (Manmohan Singh) comments on favouring a certain section of the population (Muslims) is not in the best interest of the nation’s social development.

Delineating his thoughts further, he maintained, “This constitution doesn’t permit any positive discrimination on the basis of religion. The only ground for its adoption is ‘Social and Educational Backwardness’. If that doesn’t work out, then either you adopt a new constitution completely. By giving reservations to a minority community, it will only create bad blood between me (Muslims) and my neighbours (Hindus). “

It may be recalled Arif Mohammad Khan quit the Congress in 1986 because of his differences with the leadership over its handling of a case regarding maintenance for a divorced Muslim woman. He resigned from position of Minister of state protesting against the Congress Government’s(under Rajiv Gandhi) stand on Shah Bano case in 1986. He defended Supreme Court judgement on Shah Bano case in Parliament. He is actively involved in policy making and Islam reformation

Vehemently opposing Triple Talaq, he had earlier said that it should be punishable with 3 years in jail. He had also advocated abolishing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He highlighted, “If Triple Talaq can be challenged, then unrestrained right to Polygamy should also be challenged. Nowhere in Quran does it allow anyone to practise such oppressive customs. It is a landmark judgment which alter people’s mindsets and inspire women everywhere.”





