I Carry Multiple Identities In My Person: Former VP Hamid Ansari
India’s former Vice President Hamid Ansari gets candid about diplomacy, minority issues & more with Nishtha Gautam.
Interviewer: Nishtha Gautam
Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
In this interview to The Quint’s Opinions Editor Nishtha Gautam, India’s former Vice President Hamid Ansari opens up about Aligarh Muslim University, minority rights and concerns, diplomacy — and cricket!
Here are some excerpts (from the longer video interview):
The Quint: Have you been diplomatic about your life (in your autobiography) or have you been candid?
Hamid Ansari: I think I have been very candid. (But) I have not been candid about matters which were addressed to me as part of State secrets.
The Quint: You’ve been quite vocal, but not provocative when it comes to minority issues. Has that trend been followed in the written word as well?
Hamid Ansari: I think so. I have expressed myself quite candidly if you read them — about what the problems of minorities are, what the rights of minorities are, where are the obstacles, where are the failures — both of the government and of the minorities themselves...
The Quint: Is identity politics one of the problems?
Hamid Ansari: Well, identity politics is a fact of life. You can’t run away from it. Now, wisdom lies in accepting it and accommodating it...
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