First Bihar Muslim Governor after 26 years, Arif Khan’s new stint enthuses NDA, sparks Opposition concern

The principal Opposition RJD also “welcomed” Khan’s appointment but raised doubts over his past record of allegedly “defying federal structure”, referring to his gubernatorial innings in Kerala.

JD(U) advisor and former MP K C Tyagi told The Indian Express that the party welcomed Khan as a “friend, scholar, and a liberal and progressive minority face. “He was one of the first Muslim leaders to expose the Congress’s appeasement politics. We had worked together during our early days. He then moved to the Congress, from which he quit after being disenchanted with the party over then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s stand over the Shah Bano case and Muslim appeasement,” Tyagi said.

Khan had resigned as the Minister of State in the Rajiv Gandhi government citing his government’s stand on the Shah Bano case in which the Supreme Court held that Muslim women could seek maintenance under Section 125 of the then Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 like women from other religious communities.

Asked if the JD(U) sees Khan’s appointment as a message to Muslims to keep the party in their good books, Tyagi said: “Both Nitish and Khan are liberal and secular leaders in their own rights.”

Tyagi said Khan takes on Muslim fundamentalists with reason. “His appointment as Bihar Governor will send out a good message among Muslims while his scholarly inputs in the field of higher education could further add value to his ex-officio position as the Chancellor of state universities,” he said.

In his previous stint as the Kerala Governor, Khan had been at odds with the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, which had accused him of trying to “saffronise” universities by nominating members of the Sangh Parivar in their Senates.

Khan has become Bihar’s first Muslim Governor after 26 years after A R Kidwai, who served in the post from August 1993 to April 1998. Brushing aside the claims that his appointment was the party’s “subtle bid at Muslim appeasement”, BJP spokesperson Manoj Kumar Sharma said the NDA was a “solid unit” under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership. “There is no need for any extra message. We hail Khan as a visionary scholar and administrator. We welcome his appointment as the flag-bearer of the counter debate on the Shah Bano case which exposed the Congress’ Muslim appeasement,” he said.

Khan’s appointment also comes amid some differences between the JD(U) and the BJP over certain issues related to the Muslim community like the Centre’s proposed Waqf Amendment Bill. Nitish, who is currently on his Pragati Yatra, continues to emphasise that he will continue to work for Hindus and Muslims irrespective of Muslims “voting for him or not”. On the other hand, the BJP has been pushing its Hindutva agenda selectively.

The differences between the two allies also emerged over Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s Hindu Swabhiman Yatra in Muslim-dominated areas of the Seemanchal region like Araria, Purnia, Katihar and Kishanganj following which Nitish had sent out a clear message at an NDA meeting that “development with justice” alone had to be the alliance’s key agenda.

On its part, the RJD said as the state’s principal Opposition party it welcomed Khan’s appointment. “However, we are a bit concerned keeping in mind his background of defying the federal structure as Kerala Governor. The BJP is wrong if it thinks that Khan’s appointment is a message to Muslims. Our chief Lalu Prasad continues to be a champion of minorities and secularism,” RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta said.