Silence gripped in the villages Vastan and Akklakuwa(his native villages) in neighbouring Maharashtra, as the news of removal of Maulana Ghulam Vastanvi as the Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband came.
It was not too long ago when villages with key madrasas and Darul Ulooms in south Gujarat as well as neighbouring Maharashtra, where he has set up the sprawling Akklakuwa educational complex, had celebrated Vastanvi’s appointment as the Deoband V-C. His appointment was marked with two ‘firsts’ — he was the first non-alumnus as well as non-UP resident to be appointed to the post.
The celebrations continued till his comments on the state of Muslims in Gujarat under Chief Minister Narendra Modi, reportedly praising the development work done by the latter.
“His praise for Modi was used as a tool; he had to go because he is not from that region, he is a Gujarati,†said Vastanvi’s cousin Iqbal Randera, adding that he “never praised Modi†and that news was “mis-reportedâ€.