There may be conflicting views on his Maulana status, but Obaidulla Khan Azmi’s fiery oratory has never been in dispute. Although a Congress Rajya Sabha member for the last five years, Azmi’s political career took off as a virulent anti-Congress speaker in the Muslim pockets of Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of the Shah Bano case in mid-1980s. He surprised many Congressmen in 2002 by winning a party nomination to Rajya Sabha. And now just as his term is coming to an end, Azmi is looking for a stint with the Samajwadi Party. Reverting to his original self, Azmi says, “Congress is not a secular party. I will campaign for the SP in the forthcoming elections.” Azmi’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in 2002 had come despite opposition from veterans like A R Antulay and Mohsina Kidwai. Sonia Gandhi’s decision had created a lot of resentment within the party, particularly among Muslims who stood by the party through difficult times. “It is an irony that Arif Mohammad Khan who was the staunchest supporter of Rajiv Gandhi could not find a place in Congress and people like Azmi got it so easily. After using the party for his personal gains, now he is leaving,” a party worker laments. Azmi managed to draw the attention of former prime minister V P Singh with his anti-Congress campaign, following which the small-time cleric from Azamgarh became a Rajya Sabha member in 1990. Just as his term was coming to an end in 1996, he managed to get an RJD seat from Bihar. However, Lalu too got tired of him and by 2002, Azmi went back to Sonia. Within two months he was elected to the RS. However, Azmi is not alone. Rashid Alvi—who made a career out of working against the Congress—left the BSP in 2004 after being denied a ticket and got a Congress nomination to the Rajya Sabha. He was air-dropped into Andhra, overruling the claims of local Muslim leaders, for a two-year vacancy. He got a full six-year term in 2006. Though he did not dare to contest in UP, Alvi is now among Rahul Gandhi’s close advisers.
