By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: The clandestine politics behind political Iftar parties has always made news headlines, but in Andhra Pradesh political Iftar party by state government has created a new round of debate challenging its very existence. And this debate is not started by the general public but by the divided approach of AP Muslim Congress leaders towards this issue.
On 28th July senior Congress Muslim leaders met chief minister of AP N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and demanded that state govt. should restrain from organizing iftar extravaganza and same amount should be spent on the welfare of Muslim community. The delegation had major Muslim AP Congress faces, like Mohammed Farooq Hussain a newly elected MLC, former MLC Sultan Ahmed, Hafiz Peer Shabbier Ahmed, AP Jamiat Ulema president and Congress MLC, and former Minister Mohammed Jani. They were led by none other than AP Congress general secretary Abid Rasool Khan.
The delegation presented before the chief minster that state govt. had spent nearly 80 lakh rupees last year for the chief minister’s Iftar party. This year amount is likely to rise up to Rs 1 crore. They demanded that the same amount should be spent on the construction of new building for Aneesul Ghuraba, a Muslim wakf orphanage whose structure is on the verge of collapse.
On a note of protest they also raised the issue of 5 crore amount sanctioned for generators for Mecca Masjid and Shahi Masjid. They brought to the notice of chief minster that even though that amount was sanctioned before Ramzan but generators have not been installed till now.
They told the CM that only on erecting Shamiyanas (tents) on Nizam College ground for the Iftar party nearly 50 lakh rupees are spent, which is serving no purpose at all. They advised the C.M that instead of spending lakhs on unwarranted and unproductive parties govt. should increase the budget for the marriages of poor Muslim girls from Rs 1.5 crore to 5 crore as a goodwill gesture during Ramzan.
The above suggestions put forth by the senior Congress Muslim leaders created flutter in the AP Congress. Former power minster and AP Congress public relation secretary Mohd Ali Shabbir was quick to call C.M next day and cautioned him from accepting the recommendations made by other Muslim Congress leaders.
Mr. Shabbir reportedly told CM that his govt. has spent crores of rupees on the religious festivals of different religions. If chief minister restrains from organizing Iftar party or takes any austerity measures it will send a wrong signal to whole Muslim community in AP. As for the demands of Muslim leaders, he advised the CM that separate fund should be released for such requests.
The CM in turn assured Congress PR secretary that ‘tradition’ of state Iftar party will not be halted and Iftar party will be arranged on the large scale in Nizam College ground on the state expense. However, the CM didn’t give any assurance about the construction of new orphanage building or increasing the Budget for the marriage of poor Muslim girls.
Mr. Abid Rasool Khan in a hastened move for not to be seen on the wrong side issued a public statement accepting the CM’s decision and tried to justify his views on high profile Iftar parties.
This ‘tradition’ of organizing chief minister’s Iftar party was started in the period of TDP when Chandra Babu Naidu was C.M. From then on chief minister iftar party and funds spent on them was the issue where Muslims were always found divided.
But the recent controversy on political Iftar has brought in the public the ongoing differences between many senior Muslim AP Congress leaders.