He was an incapacitated alcoholic during his tenure, who would escape Cabinet meetings if they clashed with his evening whiskey-samosa routine, according to M.O. Mathai's memoirs.
Instead, he had Humayun Kabir, K.G. Saidayin, and Ashfaque Hussain run the ministry on his behalf.
Instead, he had Humayun Kabir, K.G. Saidayin, and Ashfaque Hussain run the ministry on his behalf.
https://twitter.com/iitbombay/status/1325827173001826304
The relevant passage, from M.O. Mathai’s 'Reminiscences',
"One day the Maulana’s favourite Private Secretary came to see me privately. He told me that he was worried about the Maulana because he was imbibing half a bottle of whisky every evening.
Falls were not infrequent ...
"One day the Maulana’s favourite Private Secretary came to see me privately. He told me that he was worried about the Maulana because he was imbibing half a bottle of whisky every evening.
Falls were not infrequent ...
"... In fact he had broken his back in a fall and had to wear a metal plate to support his back.
Since then an able-bodied man was always available to support the Maulana whenever he got up during and after his drinks."
Since then an able-bodied man was always available to support the Maulana whenever he got up during and after his drinks."
"As a departmental minister, the Maulana was a disaster, as Gandhiji had feared.
He made no contribution to education.
He left everything to the trio — Humayun Kabir, K.G. Saidayin and Ashfaque Hussain."
He made no contribution to education.
He left everything to the trio — Humayun Kabir, K.G. Saidayin and Ashfaque Hussain."
Meanwhile, Sitaram Goel, still a Marxist at the time, added,
"In Delhi, the Maulana never attended a dinner party.
He came to the PM’s house only for lunches in honour of important foreign dignitaries."
"In Delhi, the Maulana never attended a dinner party.
He came to the PM’s house only for lunches in honour of important foreign dignitaries."
"At Cabinet meetings, which were normally fixed at 5 p.m., the Maulana would get up at the stroke of 6, regardless of the importance of the subject under discussion, and leave.
Soon he would be before his whisky, soda and ice … Nehru avoided seeing him in the evenings."
Soon he would be before his whisky, soda and ice … Nehru avoided seeing him in the evenings."
Also famous for,
"If a thorn gets stuck in a Turk's sole in the battlefield of war, then I swear by the God of Islam, no Muslim of India can be a Muslim until he feels that prick in his heart instead of sole because the Millat-e-Islam is a single body."
firstpost.com/india/global-i…
"If a thorn gets stuck in a Turk's sole in the battlefield of war, then I swear by the God of Islam, no Muslim of India can be a Muslim until he feels that prick in his heart instead of sole because the Millat-e-Islam is a single body."
firstpost.com/india/global-i…
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