Iftar culture fading away in UP
Lucknow: Just a few days left for Alvida Namaz on Friday, the Iftar parties in the month of Ramzan, which was once an important part of elite political culture, have faded away in Lucknow as no political party has organised iftar so far.
The Samajwadi Party, having a large Muslim base, used to be at the forefront of organising the Iftar party. When it was in power, the Iftar party was held in CM’s residence and when in opposition, it used to be held at Lohia Trust or the party office.
“Probably the emergence of Hindutava politics has prevented Akhilesh from organising the Iftar Party. He (Akhilesh) is avoiding hosting this party as his rivals would label him as practicing “appeasement,” a senior SP leader told Millennium Post on Tuesday.
The Samajwadi Party was known for hosting the biggest and best Iftar party at its state office. Its founder, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, used to meet the guests personally and ensure that everyone had a sumptuous meal. The menu on the table was equally magnificent.
“Even now the party is The same is true for Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress as these parties too have refrained from organising the iftar parties,” the SP leader said.
“We will focus on the municipal elections instead of getting caught up in a new controversy,” said an SP leader adding: “The Iftar party is aimed at giving a message of communal harmony. Clerics and political leaders would come together, rising above political affiliations, and breaking bread. It created a sense of mutual trust.”
However, Akhilesh has participated in Iftar parties organised by Muslim clerics at mosques and party leaders at their residences. The Bahujan Samaj Party, on the other hand, is known to host iftars only when it is in power in the state where a limited number of guests were invited. The Congress, on the other hand, had regularly organised iftars in the past and many of its leaders from Delhi had made the effort to attend. In recent years, the Congress has abandoned the tradition and insiders claim that it has stopped the organisation of the iftar mainly due to a lack of funds.
All BJP chief ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Kalyan Singh, used to organise such Iftar parties. The only exception was however Ram Prakash Gupta, who did not hold the Iftar party because of political instability.
Iftar parties were started in Uttar Pradesh in 1974 by the then Congress chief minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna. After that, it became an annual tradition for the next many decades. In 2017 there was a break in this tradition after Yogi Adityanath became chief minister. For the last six years, no Iftaar party has been organised at the CM’s residence.
