POLITICAL COMMENTATOR DR ANAND RANGANATHAN’S recent views on India’s first Education Minister, Maulana Azad, have turned into a complex yet tricky discourse on the internet. Recently, a video of Ranganathan challenging the celebration of Maulana Azad quickly escalated when veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar responded to the video.
On September 9, 2026 a video was posted in collaboration between the YouTube channels of Ranganathan and Clear Cut Talks. In the video Ranganathan referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s X post dated November 11, 2022 celebrating Maulana Azad on his birth anniversary. He quoted PM Modi’s post, in which the former Education Minister was praised for his “intellectual prowess” and “passion for education,” but later referenced a quote by Maulana Azad, pointing out an overlooked dimension of him.
Anand Ranganathan on Maulana Azad
In the video, Anand Ranganathan quoted Maulana Azad as saying, “Be extremely hard against Kafirs (unbelievers) but extremely kind among ourselves.” He continued, “All relationships in the world can break down; a father can turn against his son, a brother against his brother, and a mother can shun her child, but the relationship of a Muslim with a Muslim can never be severed.” Ranganathan claimed that the portrayal of Azad in historical books focuses only on one side of the coin while overlooking the other side.
He demanded change starting from the top and further added, “If the topmost person believes this to be the true facet of our history and what is to be taught in our schools, eulogize these people, then I don’t think there is any redemption for this country.” He did not cite the source of the quote earlier. The video was widely shared on social media, with many users raising concerns regarding the rhetoric of presenting a particular narrative as secularism.
