Leaders eye Iftar diplomacy ahead of MP, civic body polls

Warangal: From the US President Barrack Obama to a nondescript politician, no one is an exception when it comes to the matter of taking advantage of politics of appeasement. Politicos cutting across the party lines, leave no stone unturned to woo the Muslim voters across the country. With by-election around the corner for Warangal Lok Sabha seat, the Iftar politics are already underway.

Hosting political Iftars during the holy month of Ramzan is believed to have started first by Jawaharlal Nehru when he was the Prime Minister. He used to host them in the Congress party office inviting a small gathering of Muslim leaders. Later, it was HN Bahuguna, who revived the practice in 1974 with an eye on Muslim vote bank when he was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Since then, the Iftar parties, once a tradition to meet people of the community to understand them better, have become strategic poll planks for the politicos to appease the Muslim voters in the country. Years later, the Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh emerged with the tag of hosting the biggest Iftars as well as well-attended events in Lucknow.

As the leaders started to think that the attendance at the Iftars is the barometer to gauge their political popularity among the Muslim community, the holding such events have started increasing, especially when the elections are round the corner during the of Ramzan.

The top three contenders – Telangana Rasthra Samithi (TRS), Congress, Telugu Desam and BJP – who set their eyes on the Warangal Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following Kadiyam Srihari’s resignation as MP, and the ensuing elections for the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC), have already chalked out their action plan to woo the electorate, especially the 1.60 lakh Muslim population in the GWMC area.

While the Congress and the BJP have plans to storm the Lok Sabha constituency with a host of top brass leaders, the TRS has so far not shown any kind of hurriedness. Sounding the bugle for the by-election even before the Election Commission (EC), the Congress on Thursday appeared focused on the elections, said to be pivotal for those at the helm of party affairs in the state.

As part of their poll plans, the TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and many a Congress leader attended the Iftar hosted at a private function hall here signaling many more to follow before the conclusion of Ramzan month. Meanwhile, there are reports that the other political parties are also gearing up to use the Iftar parties to woo the Muslim voters.

Reacting on Iftar parties hosted in connection with the politics, the Raipura Mecca Masjid Imam Aftab Aalam told The Hans India, Roza was to cleanse body and soul and if the money earned by means of corrupt practices was used to break the fast, the entire purpose was lost. Every Muslim must be aware of this fact before attending Iftars, he added.

“This is nothing but an anti-Islamic tamasha,” Abdul Majeed, convener of the Muslim Coordination Committee, said, questioning the politicos as to why they do not work for the welfare of all those poor instead of taking affluent Muslims on board for their Iftar parties.

By:Adepu Mahendar