Ali Anwar

He was a two-time Member of the Parliament of India for Bihar in the Rajya Sabha,  representing Janata Dal (United), until his expulsion from the party in September 2017 for opposing the party leadership decision to break from the Mahagathbandan and instead partner with BJP.

Anwar was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a member of Janata Dal (United) and served two terms until his expulsion from the party in September 2017. He was suspended from his party for attending a meeting of opposition parties called by Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi. As a result, he was expelled from Rajya Sabha. Anwar had strongly opposed the party leadership decision to break from the Mahagathbandan and instead partner with BJP.

In 1998, Anwar formed the Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (PMM) to serve as an umbrella organization fighting to deliver rights to Dalit and backward Muslims. Anwar's argument, as stated in Masavat ki Jang is that Indian Muslims are not a homogenous community and existing organizations only serve upper-caste Muslims. The book details the monopolization by upper-caste 'Ashraf' leaders of civil society organizations such as madrasas and personal law boards, representative institutions (Parliament and State Assemblies) and departments, ministries and institutions that claim to work for Muslims (minority affairs, Waqf boards, Urdu academies, AMU, Jamia Millia Islamia, etc). He also documents the caste-based violence and discrimnation against Dalit and backward Pasmanda (Persian for those who have fallen behind) Muslims. Anwar's key demands were -

In 1996, Anwar won the KK Birla Foundation fellowship for journalism to study the lives of Dalit and backward caste Muslims in Bihar. This reporting led to a book titled Masavat ki Jang (Fight for Equality)

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Muslims in Bihar had electorally consolidated behind Laloo Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal. In the lead up to the 2005 legislative elections, Anwar's PMM and other Pasmanda leaders heavily criticized Laloo's tenure and the lack of progress made by Pasmanda muslims therein. Anwar threw his support behind Nitish Kumar's JD(U)-BJP alliance. and helped Kumar and his alliance to victory. In power, Kumar implemented policies reserving seats in local bodies as well as educational scholarships for backward Muslims. This This helped breach Yadav's hold on Muslim voters and drove a portion of the Muslim voter base to Kumar. Anwar's endorsement of Nitish Kumar and drew heavy criticism from Muslim organizations including from within the Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz because of Kumar's alliance with the Hindu-nationalist BJP. Anwar defended his decision by stating Kumar was not a Hindu nationalist.

Ali Anwar Ansari (born 16 January 1954 in Dumraon, Buxar district) is an Indian journalist, social activist and politician. He is the founder of Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz, concerned with fighting discrimination against lower-caste and Dalit Muslims.

Anwar was born in 1954 into a weaver family in Dumraon, Bihar. His father was a mill worker, involved in trade union activism via the Communist Party of India affiliated All India Trade Union Congress. This influenced Anwar into becoming involved in leftist politics as a high-school student and became a card-carrying member of the CPI.