Hamid Ansari: From diplomat to Vice-President

New Delhi: Exactly 50 years after the late philosopher-statesman Dr S Radhakrishnan’s feat, Hamid Ansari emulated his footsteps by getting a second term as Vice-President. The 75-year-old former career diplomat, who had served as Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, will once again become the Chairman of Rajya Sabha by virtue of his election as Vice President. In the 2007 election, Ansari’s name came as a surprise when the Left parties, supporting the UPA-I from outside, proposed his name and the Congress-led alliance accepted it. The Left parties, which faced divisions on the Presidential poll, however had no problems in supporting Ansari for a second time. Affable and well-read, Ansari has also held the post of Chairman of National Commission for Minorities before he became the Vice-President. In the last five years, he had carried himself well,except for the controversial decision to abruptly adjourn the Upper House on the last day of the winter session last year when the House was expected to vote on the Lokpal bill. BJP was critical of the adjournment decision alleging it was done to rescue the government from a possible embarrassing defeat. [caption id=“attachment_409711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi greets Mohammad Hamid Ansari after he was re-elected as Vice President of India. PTI[/caption] The main opposition party cited it as one of the reasons for putting up a candidate against him in the current election. Ansari also tried to innovate in the House proceedings when he shifted the Question Hour to post-lunch session to avoid loss of opportunity for members to question the government on account of routine disruptions in the morning. The move was given up after just a session when he found the members themselves being absent from the House when their questions were taken up and the government also not very enthusiastic about the move. In the past, Ansari has served in many positions, including as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, Indian High Commissioner to Australia and ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1961. A Padma Shree awardee, Ansari became Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University in May, 2000 and held the post till March, 2002. Ansari is also known for his role in ensuring compensation to the victims of the Gujarat riots and pushing for a complete re-look into the relief and rehabilitation for riot victims since 1984. He also dealt with criticism for being non-political when he took over as vice-president in 2007 in his own inimitable way. “No citizen is apolitical; as a citizen, by definition, has to take interest in public affairs,” he had then said. Ansari was born in Calcutta on 1 April, 1937, while his family hailed from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his schooling from St Edwards High School in Shimla, attended the St Xavier’s College, University of Calcutta, and pursued MA in Political Science at the Aligarh Muslim University, where he also got his doctorate degree and worked as lecturer. He is the grand-nephew of former Congress President Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, a leader of the Indian independence movement. Ansari is also a reputed West Asia scholar. He has authored a book— Travelling Through Conflict. He has written books on Palestine, Iraq and Iran. Some of his views have run contrary to India’s official position. He had questioned India’s vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran’s nuclear programme where the country voted against Iran. He also upheld a decision as NCM Chairperson when in 2007 he agreed with the position taken by St Stephens College, Delhi, to earmark seats for Dalit Christians. PTI