Zee Exclusive: Former Vice President Hamid Ansari reiterates 'Muslims are not safe in India'

New Delhi: Former Vice President of India Hamid Ansari in an exclusive interview to Zee News reiterated his 2017 statement that Muslims are not safe in India. Ansari spoke at length about several issues including secularism, safety of Muslims.

In the interview aired on Zee News on Saturday, Hamid Ansari reiterated what he wrote in his book that today there is no word of secularism in the government's dictionary.

Hamid Ansari claimed that secularism has almost “disappeared” from government’s official vocabulary adding that most of his views on secularism is based on Bombai Judgement, which was delivered by Supreme Court.

#WATCH | Former Vice President #HamidAnsari's #exclusive interview on Zee News@AmanChopra_ pic.twitter.com/KOt66deJK3

— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) January 31, 2021

When asked if there was a word in the government's dictionary before 2014, then his answer was - "Yes, but not enough."

The former Vice President said that during the last week of his tenure two incidents aroused resentment in some sections and the people thought that his statement has some hidden meaning. In his new book 'By Many a Happy Accident: Recollection of a Life', the former Vice President has also mentioned about his conversations and interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He responded to a range of counter questions from Hindu terrorism to appeasement and 'insecurity among Muslims', mob lynching and then Hamid Ansari left the interview.

#EXCLUSIVE | Former Vice president of India, #HamidAnsari in a conservation with Zee News speaks at length about #secularism, the safety of #Muslims in India and more @AmanChopra_ pic.twitter.com/4DhdXz0VAl

— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) January 31, 2021

'You were Vice President for 10 years, VC of MMU, Head of Minorities Commission, Diplomat, the country gave you so much but on the last day of your tenure you said that Muslims are insecure, what is the reason?

On this question, Ansari said that he has said this on the basis of public perception.

In this context, he also mentioned lynching. In a counter question, that lynching also happens to Hindus, Ansari said that might have happened.

When asked 'Why did you think that Muslims are insecure?' Ansari tried to evade by not giving any direct answer.

Former Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha chairman, #MohammadHamidAnsari in an #exclusive interview with Zee News.@AmanChopra_ pic.twitter.com/q4sLnnRdx7

— Zee News English (@ZeeNewsEnglish) January 31, 2021

He was repeatedly asking to read the footnote of his book carefully. Meanwhile, he was reminded that the purpose of the interview is not to publicize his book but to question the things raised in it.

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari sidelined the question of 'insecurity among Muslims' and left interview suddenly.