The gala event, attended by most non-NDA members, was an attempt to get back old UPA partners and also find new ones
Did the Iftar diplomacy of Congress president Sonia Gandhi succeedIJ It’s too early to predict. While her supporters claim the glass was half-full, critics say it was half-empty, going by the attendance (or lack thereof) of top leaders at the event. But it is the behind-the-scene developments that matter.
The high profile event on Monday attracted the attention of media and political parties. The huge spread at the Ashoka Hotel convention hall had all the makings of a grand party and there was the unmistakable political flavor of the UPA heydays. Iftar parties are no longer a celebration of the end of Ramzan; they have become big political get-togethers in the capital. Almost all parties use the Iftar card to show their political clout. The attendance at their Iftar party is the barometer to gauge political clout.
The politics of Iftar has a long history in India. The tradition began with the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. His successor lal Bahadur Shastri discontinued the practice. In 1974, HN Bahuguna, as Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, had an Iftar party to court the Muslim vote bank. Bahuguna’s success apparently inspired Indira Gandhi to begin her own in Delhi. Since then successive Prime Ministers have hosted state sponsored-Iftar parties. Even NDA Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also continued the practice.
After moving to New Delhi last year, Mr Narendra Modi broke a long tradition of Indian Prime Ministers hosting Iftar parties. Neither as Gujarat Chief Minister before nor as Prime Minister now has he hosted an Iftar party. In fact, he hasn’t even attended one, including the one hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee.
Whether you like it or not, the attendance at Iftar parties sends political signals. What are the signals emanating for Ms Gandhi’s Iftar partyIJ First, with her son Rahul Gandhi in tow, she was attempting to show a broad opposition unity on the eve of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, by mobilising the support of like- minded parties.
Second, Ms Gandhi wants to political signal that the Congress is still relevant. This was evident from this year’s guest list, which compared to last year’s post-election event, was impressive.
The third signal was to old UPA allies that the Congress needs them all. The Iftar was an attempt to get back old partners and also find new ones. In this, Ms Gandhi has succeeded. The guest list included most non-NDA members, who were personally invited. Regional parties, which are not part of the BJP-led NDA, but were still kept away by the Congress were the AIADMK, the BJD and the TRS, which rule Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Telangana respectively.
Instead, Ms Gandhi got back four of her old UPA allies and added a new one, JD(U). NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, JD(U) leaders Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav and KC Tyagi, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, BSP leader Satish Mishra and RJD leader Prem Gupta were some of the high profile leaders at the party. The presence of DMK chief M Karunanidhi’s daughter indicated that the Congress may bring back the DMK into the UPA fold.
It was noted at the party that the Samajwadi Party and the left parties had not been invited. Bihar politics played a role in this because the left parties are not part of the broad JD(U)-RJD-Congress-NCP coalition in Bihar. Also, the CPI(M) did not want to share the table with the Trinamool Congress. As for SP chief Mulayam Singh’s absence, it seems like it was Uttar Pradesh politics which stopped him. The Congress is planning to stage demonstrations against his party next week.
The 2014 lok Sabha poll has clearly shown that the Muslim community no more pays heed to the politics of appeasement. Political parties too should understand that they can’t fool the minority community anymore with tokenism. With the lowest ever representation of Muslims in the current lok Sabha, can tokenism help the community resolve its problemsIJ What is required is development of the community — jobs, education, health and security.