The appointment of a Gujarat businessman who is an ardent Narendra Modi supporter as the Chancellor of Hyderabad's Maulana Azad National Urdu University has raised some questions about his qualifications for the job. But Zafar Sareshwala, CEO and MD of Parsoli Motors, claims that though he has not had teaching experience, he is keen on helping the university achieve its goals.
Sareshwala, who is Modi's most high-profile Muslim aide, dismissed allegations that his appointment is due to his proximity with the prime minister. He spoke to Scroll.in about his new position, previous controversies in which he has been embroiled, and his plans for the university.
You are known to be a businessman but this appointment is for an academic post. Could you please elaborate on your background?
I belong to a family that has been associated with business for several generations. We run several businesses but we have always been connected with education. My great-grandfather set up an education society in 1910 in Ahmedabad. Now, my family runs a school for girls there which is managed by my sisters. My wife also teaches art to underprivileged kids in that school.
I started a vocational guidance bureau in the office itself in 1992. In our family, most of the males are engineers. I have done a diploma in mechanical engineering as well a postgraduate diploma in management.
How did you come to be appointed as a chancellor of a university?
I had no idea about it. It came as a surprise when I saw it in the newspapers. The news was out before the university contacted me. I received an official confirmation from them only 24 hours ago.
Have you had any academic experience so far?
I don’t think chancellors are supposed to teach at a university. As I understand it, the job of a chancellor is to make sure the university is achieving the goals for which it was set up.
These are the fundamentals of managing things, be it a company or a government, and I have run companies all my life. The process is similar and all about achieving the potential. I have interviewed a generation of people, many of whom were unemployable, and I’d like to change that.
What are your plans for the university?
It’s still very new to me. I will have to go there and see what shape the university is in. It will take some time to assess the situation first and then take a call on the strategy. I would definitely love to see more and more people get quality education at the university.
You are known to support Narendra Modi and he is now the prime minister. Are you happy with the government?
Modi is at the helm of affairs in the country and I always wanted this to happen.
I have known him personally for 12 years now. I have dealt with him, seen him and done so many things with him. I know his qualities and his power of execution. He has a vision that many leaders don’t.
Does that mean you support the Bharatiya Janata Party too?
No, I am not a supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party, though. Had Modi not been the PM candidate, their situation would have been worse. Every party needs one right person at the top to be successful and Modi is that person.
Also, I feel that no party has any ideology. I don’t think the BJP is communal or the Congress Party is secular. I have seen the Congress play soft Hindutva in Gujarat too. The BJP used to have a certain ideology but things evolve with time, like the Labour Party evolved in the United Kingdom. Some leaders come to the helm and breathe fire into an old institution.
In the case of the Gujarat riots, it is the first time ever in Indian history that the perpetrators of the crime were brought to the justice. It’s Modi's achievement.
Modi’s model is inclusive and community-neutral.
Your company Parsoli Corporation ran into troubles with the Securities and Exchange Board of India some years ago. What happened?
It was thanks to my proximity with Modi that I faced trouble from the regulators. It was nothing but political vendetta against me. In those days, someone who would praise the roads of Gujarat would get raided by SEBI or the income tax department. I paid a heavy price too. They could not tolerate a Muslim supporting Modi.
In those days, SEBI was one of the biggest dens of extortion and I am a victim of that at the behest of a few Muslim members in the Congress. Modi sahib will have to work hard to remove all the corruption that has crept in the system.
Some are saying that your closeness to Modi is behind the appointment. What is your response to that?
This is certainly laughable. Does it mean that my achievements over the last 50 years are worth nothing? It is not worth responding to.
If I am a CEO of a company, I’d rather have people that I am comfortable with. Nobody will bring their enemies to an important position of responsibility. What is wrong with that? People appear to be too concerned about these things, ab logon ko aam khane se matlab hai ya ped ginne se (are people concerned about eating mangoes or they want to count trees?)
Nobody is asking about the credentials of the previous chancellor. It is deplorable that I am being blamed.
What was the process of your appointment?
I asked the university staff about my appointment and they told me that six names were sent for consideration. They selected my name out of those six candidates.
The university seems very happy about my appointment. I have no connections to defend. I neither know anyone in Hyderabad nor do I know anything about the university and what it does.
You recently tweeted about the stereotyping of religious groups. What is your stand on the gharwapsi programme?
Those who claim to be bringing people home need a reality check. They should care about the ones [Hindus] already in their homes. A large population of Hindus is living in squalid conditions and suffering from poverty, deprivation, and malnutrition. Have they ever visited their own communities and worked for them?
But they seem to be so keen on converting 200 people in Agra. I feel that education is the only solution to these things, which will automatically vanish with time.
These are non-issues. We should focus on development and education.
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Sareshwala, who is Modi's most high-profile Muslim aide, dismissed allegations that his appointment is due to his proximity with the prime minister. He spoke to Scroll.in about his new position, previous controversies in which he has been embroiled, and his plans for the university.
You are known to be a businessman but this appointment is for an academic post. Could you please elaborate on your background?
I belong to a family that has been associated with business for several generations. We run several businesses but we have always been connected with education. My great-grandfather set up an education society in 1910 in Ahmedabad. Now, my family runs a school for girls there which is managed by my sisters. My wife also teaches art to underprivileged kids in that school.
I started a vocational guidance bureau in the office itself in 1992. In our family, most of the males are engineers. I have done a diploma in mechanical engineering as well a postgraduate diploma in management.
How did you come to be appointed as a chancellor of a university?
I had no idea about it. It came as a surprise when I saw it in the newspapers. The news was out before the university contacted me. I received an official confirmation from them only 24 hours ago.
Have you had any academic experience so far?
I don’t think chancellors are supposed to teach at a university. As I understand it, the job of a chancellor is to make sure the university is achieving the goals for which it was set up.
These are the fundamentals of managing things, be it a company or a government, and I have run companies all my life. The process is similar and all about achieving the potential. I have interviewed a generation of people, many of whom were unemployable, and I’d like to change that.
What are your plans for the university?
It’s still very new to me. I will have to go there and see what shape the university is in. It will take some time to assess the situation first and then take a call on the strategy. I would definitely love to see more and more people get quality education at the university.
You are known to support Narendra Modi and he is now the prime minister. Are you happy with the government?
Modi is at the helm of affairs in the country and I always wanted this to happen.
I have known him personally for 12 years now. I have dealt with him, seen him and done so many things with him. I know his qualities and his power of execution. He has a vision that many leaders don’t.
Does that mean you support the Bharatiya Janata Party too?
No, I am not a supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party, though. Had Modi not been the PM candidate, their situation would have been worse. Every party needs one right person at the top to be successful and Modi is that person.
Also, I feel that no party has any ideology. I don’t think the BJP is communal or the Congress Party is secular. I have seen the Congress play soft Hindutva in Gujarat too. The BJP used to have a certain ideology but things evolve with time, like the Labour Party evolved in the United Kingdom. Some leaders come to the helm and breathe fire into an old institution.
In the case of the Gujarat riots, it is the first time ever in Indian history that the perpetrators of the crime were brought to the justice. It’s Modi's achievement.
Modi’s model is inclusive and community-neutral.
Your company Parsoli Corporation ran into troubles with the Securities and Exchange Board of India some years ago. What happened?
It was thanks to my proximity with Modi that I faced trouble from the regulators. It was nothing but political vendetta against me. In those days, someone who would praise the roads of Gujarat would get raided by SEBI or the income tax department. I paid a heavy price too. They could not tolerate a Muslim supporting Modi.
In those days, SEBI was one of the biggest dens of extortion and I am a victim of that at the behest of a few Muslim members in the Congress. Modi sahib will have to work hard to remove all the corruption that has crept in the system.
Some are saying that your closeness to Modi is behind the appointment. What is your response to that?
This is certainly laughable. Does it mean that my achievements over the last 50 years are worth nothing? It is not worth responding to.
If I am a CEO of a company, I’d rather have people that I am comfortable with. Nobody will bring their enemies to an important position of responsibility. What is wrong with that? People appear to be too concerned about these things, ab logon ko aam khane se matlab hai ya ped ginne se (are people concerned about eating mangoes or they want to count trees?)
Nobody is asking about the credentials of the previous chancellor. It is deplorable that I am being blamed.
What was the process of your appointment?
I asked the university staff about my appointment and they told me that six names were sent for consideration. They selected my name out of those six candidates.
The university seems very happy about my appointment. I have no connections to defend. I neither know anyone in Hyderabad nor do I know anything about the university and what it does.
You recently tweeted about the stereotyping of religious groups. What is your stand on the gharwapsi programme?
Those who claim to be bringing people home need a reality check. They should care about the ones [Hindus] already in their homes. A large population of Hindus is living in squalid conditions and suffering from poverty, deprivation, and malnutrition. Have they ever visited their own communities and worked for them?
But they seem to be so keen on converting 200 people in Agra. I feel that education is the only solution to these things, which will automatically vanish with time.
These are non-issues. We should focus on development and education.