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Activists up in arms against CM’s dawat-e-iftar
The social activists are up in arms against the lavish ‘Dawat-e-Iftar’ being hosted by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the L B Stadium on June 8. Alleging that it was wastage of public money meant for welfare of Minorities, they have decided to knock on the doors of High Court once again on Monday.
Hyderabad: The social activists are up in arms against the lavish ‘Dawat-e-Iftar’ being hosted by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in the L B Stadium on June 8. Alleging that it was wastage of public money meant for welfare of Minorities, they have decided to knock on the doors of High Court once again on Monday.
Following the State government’s decision to celebrate the ‘Dawat-e-Iftar’ in L B Stadium, the social activist, Lubna Sarwath who had filed a PIL in the High Court last year would be pursuing the matter once again this year. She said that in the order delivered by acting Chief Justice of High court at Hyderabad, on June 16, 2017, Government of Telangana had undertaken that iftar dinner at LB stadium was not from Minority welfare funds, which was misleading.
Moreover, it has ensured to submit list of beneficiaries as it was claimed that only destitute, widows, old, orphans, and poor benefitted to the High court within 3 weeks. Minority Welfare Department’s RTI reply indicates that iftar dinner at Fateh Maidan was indeed from the funds meant for minority welfare.
“It is shame that such squander of funds and insensitivity to 'minority welfare' is being sanctioned through budget being passed by law makers of all political parties without any question on need of 60 crores being allocated for 'dawat iftar & christmas feast' for 2018-19,” she said.
Ilyas Shamshi of Reformers Front of India described this as a clear contempt of court as the State government had misled that court about the funds being spent. He said that Rs 60 crore being spent on these feasts could have helped for upliftment of minorities to some extent. He also alleged that providing Rs 1 lakh for 800 mosques has opened the doors of corruption inside the mosques as there would be no accountability.
The activists said that if the court fails address the matter, then peaceful demonstrations would mark the June 8 festivity. “Fast can be broken with a piece of date and water, we shall show how this age-old practice is still relevant in this times by organising an iftar outside L B Stadium on that day,” he cautioned.
It may be mentioned here that the State government has doubled the budget from Rs 30 crore on ‘Dawat-e-Iftar & Christmas feast from 2017-18. In this Ramzan the funds were being spent on gift packets of clothes, iftar parties across 800 mosques across the State and the grand Dawat-e-Iftar at L B Stadium.
BY Md Nizamuddin
