Following the cue of party president Rahul Gandhi, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, too, is holding an iftar gathering in its office on Sunday. Party sources said that there is a strong likelihood that Gandhi will grace the occasion.
DPCC president Ajay Maken will host the gathering, and prominent faces, the party's workers, MLAs and MLCs will all be part of the gathering.
Invitations to Gandhi's iftar party, which is likely to be held at the Taj Palace Hotel keeping in mind the possibility of monsoon downpours, have already received a confirmation from Lalu Prasad Yadav, who will send a representative.
His son Tejaswi, who held a meeting with Gandhi earlier this week, is likely to attend the event. Invitations to all UPA leaders, and leaders from secular parties have been sent out. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh, too, will be present. It remains to be seen whether former president Pranab Mukherjee will attend as well.
The Congress has not held an iftar party in the last two years, and last year the party donated the iftar spend of Rs 5 lakh to flood victims in Assam. The news of Gandhi's iftar party, which will be his first as president, will be a welcome move for the community, said senior party leader Anees Durrani. "There has been a gap in the celebrations, but this will send a strong message to the community," said Durrani.
The tradition of iftar has largely been on a downhill since the NDA came to power, with the prime minister skipping hosting iftar celebrations in the last four years. He has not yet attended any in this government's tenure. President Kovind, too, hasn't held any celebrations till now. In a reversal of roles, however, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has held an iftar gathering with the Muslim Rashtriya Manch in Mumbai last week.
