Abdul Rahman Antulay

Abdul Rahman Antulay, who died in Mumbai on Tuesday after a long illness at the age of 85, was the first chief minister who had to step down from office after allegations of a scam.

He was accused of favouring donors to a trust he had floated, the Indira Gandhi Pratibha Prathisthan, in grant of cement quotas. Antulay fought a long legal battle, from 1982, which finally went in his favour in 2013.

But the judgment, while giving him a clean chit, frowned on the then Maharashtra chief minister’s use of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s name for the trust.

The allegation of a cement scam had come from a lobby of Congress leaders uncomfortable with the balance of power shifting from Marathas to a Muslim.

Shalinitai Patil, who was revenue minister in Antulay’s cabinet, was the most vocal and a prosecution witness. Her husband, Vasantdada Patil, had accused Antulay of supporting Muslims building mosques in Mumbai. The charge had evoked a biting response from Antulay.

He had told an interviewer: “If Dada thinks I am as communal as he is himself, it is unfortunate for the Congress. Let him mention even two mosques for which I arranged monetary help, either directly or indirectly. On the other hand, I can give at least two illustrations among many in which I raised monetary assistance for a Hindu and a neo-Buddhist temple. I am proud to be a Muslim but I have never claimed to be a Muslim leader.”

During his two-year stint as chief minister of Maharashtra, Antulay was famous for making post-midnight visits to keep an eye on law and order.

A barrister from Lincoln’s Inn, Antulay was a staunch supporter of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi and remained loyal through the Emergency.

One of his famous lines was: “It has been left to Nehru’s proud daughter, the daughter of the Indian nation, the daughter of India, ancient, present and future, to bring into effect what Nehru had visualised.”

But neither the allegations of corruption nor the loyalty towards Indira stopped Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Bal Thackeray from trying to get Antulay on their side.

When Vajpayee returned as Prime Minister in 1998, he had reportedly sent feelers to Antulay to be the “Muslim face” of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Antulay did not reject the offer outright. He turned to former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao for advice.

Rao is believed to have told him to switch sides but Antulay decided to consult Sonia Gandhi, who had taken over as Congress chief. Sonia is said to have pleaded with him not to compromise on “secularism”.

Towards the end of his life, Antulay regretted having missed the chance to join hands with Vajpayee.

As a minister in the Narasimha Rao cabinet, he had stunned Congressmen by declaring himself a “Shiv Sainik” and had urged an interviewer not to address him as “Abdul Rahman”, saying he preferred to be called A.R. Antulay.

In 1982, when he was chief minister, Antulay had sought an appointment with the Queen of England, requesting her to return the sword “Bhawani” that belonged to Chhatrapati Shivaji. The request, moved through the Indian mission in London, had resulted in Antulay getting an appointment. But he was unseated before he could visit London.