From Vajpayee to #Modi# Changing Iftar party politics!
Declining Iftar dinners on the political platform nationally; A look at its history
Liz Mathew
From Vajpayee to #Modi#, #Mulayam to Yogi: The changing politics of iftar parties: Once upon a time in the political calendar of India, Iftar dinners during the month of Ramadan were important. Political parties sent clear signals, from bitter relations to alliances, through the guests who attended. It no longer has a place in the national capital.
The almost disappearance of the Iftar culture from the political arena is seen as a sign of India's political travels over the past few years, which is said to be the reason for the BJP's dominance in national politics.
Political Iftar dinners due to multi-party rivalry in politics are believed to have been initiated by India's first Prime Minister #Jawaharlal Nehru, who hosted an evening dinner for his close Muslim friends at No. 7 #Jantar #Mantar Road and later hosted a banquet at the #AICC headquarters. Over the years, Iftar dinners have gained political significance. It became not only a symbol of the political game, but also a symbol of personal and social expression for Muslim leaders and society as a whole.
Although #Lal Bahadur #Shastri, who succeeded Nehru, stopped the practice, Indira Gandhi was advised to keep the ban on keeping her Muslim support base intact, and her heirs continued the Iftar practice.
In Uttar Pradesh, it was former Chief Minister Hemwati #Nandan Bahuguna who made the Iftar an official affair, and his successors, including #Mulayam Singh #Yadav, Mayawati, #Rajnath Singh, Kalyan Singh and Akhilesh #Yadav, continued their vigor.
But Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has broken with decades of tradition. Adityanath, who has been hosting a #Kanya #Puja at his official residence during the #Navratri fast, has not hosted an Iftar dinner since taking over the state government in 2017.
But the BJP has never been against the practice of Iftar dinner. In late 2019, the then Governor of Uttar Pradesh Ram #Naik hosted an Iftar dinner at Raj Bhavan, but Yogi Adityanath never attended.
In New Delhi, like his predecessors, #Atal #Bihari Vajpayee, who led the Rainbow Alliance in the central government, was generous in hosting Iftar dinners, inviting Muslim leaders and taking photos with them.
#Shahnawaz Hussain, a senior BJP leader who was the main organizer of #Vajpayee's Iftar celebrations and is currently a minister in Bihar, recalled how special hats were made for him after photographers filmed some of his embarrassing moments in a hat that did not suit #Vajpayee. Hussein claims that #Murli #Manohar Joshi, the party's leader, hosted the BJP's first official Iftar dinner. #Atalji held it twice as prime minister, and then he suggested that I host a show where all the important people would be invited, and he attended, Hussein recalled.
During the UPA regime, the late Indian Union Muslim League leader and former Union Minister E Ahmed's Iftar dinners were attended by prominent Muslim leaders, ambassadors of Islamic countries, businessmen and top political leaders, overcoming political and ideological differences. BJP leaders also attended Ahmed's Iftar dinner. He started the Iftar practice when he came to Delhi as an MP in 1991.
You must be logged in to post a comment.