A.R. Antulay passes away

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and a veteran Congressman, Abdul Rahman Antulay, widely known as A. R. Antulay, passed away on Tuesday morning. He was 85. He also served as the Union Minister for Minority Affairs in the UPA-I government. The funeral will take place at his native Ambet village in the state’s Raigad district on Wednesday, said news agency PTI. Mr. Antulay was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy hospital last month for a severe kidney ailment. According to his relatives, Mr. Antulay was a heart patient and had also undergone bypass surgery in the past. Mr. Antulay was a barrister from Lincoln’s Inn, London. Mr. Antulay was the first and only Muslim Chief Minister of Maharashtra during the years 1980 to 1982. However he had to resign from his post following allegations of corruption. He was convicted in an extrotion case by the Bombay High Court. Later, he worked as party MLA and MP, representing the Congress in Raigad district. He fought his last election in 2009, which he lost to the Shiv Sena, after which he was out of the active politics. After the terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008, Mr. Antulay had raised a controversy by alleging the hand of Hindu fundamentalist groups in the attacks. Recently controversy surrounded him after he staged a rebellion against the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and extended support to the candidate of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). His decision came against the party’s move to give the Raigad constituency to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He had said that he was hurt since the party didn’t even consult with him before taking the decision. The Hindu