Kumar Bahukhandi
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at an Iftar party.
After many years, Iftar parties are being held from Delhi to Patna and Mumbai. BJP has also started hosting Iftar parties and leaders are also openly attending these parties. Anti-BJP parties which had stayed away from Iftar parties for some years are also making Iftar lively this year.
Iftar parties have had their own importance in Indian politics. On the occasion of Eid, it was an opportunity for politicians to show their equations and display their power. But after Narendra Modi became PM in 2014, not only BJP but the opposition also started avoiding these parties. At one point, it had become necessary to organize Iftar parties for the country’s Prime Ministers, President and Chief Ministers. Earlier, BJP leaders kept a distance from Iftar parties.
Iftar parties were considered to be a way for politicians to appease Muslims. Congress and other so-called secular parties began to feel that if they want to do politics in India, they will have to avoid appearing pro-Muslim. This was the reason that after 2017-18, the culture of political Iftar parties had almost disappeared. But after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the discussion of Iftar parties has suddenly started once again. Even BJP leaders have started attending Iftar parties. Let us see why and how this has happened?
Iftar parties and BJP
The participation of BJP leaders in Iftar parties has been just like that of Congress and Samajwadi Party etc. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, one of the founding members of BJP and former Prime Minister of India, hosted many Iftar parties during his tenure.
His close aide Shahnawaz Hussain used to be the main coordinator of Iftar events for Vajpayee. Vajpayee officially hosted Iftar twice and continued to attend Shahnawaz Hussain’s parties later. Murli Manohar Joshi also hosted the party’s first official Iftar as BJP president. The story of political Iftar at the national level ended after Narendra Modi became PM. Modi never participated in any Iftar organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan while he was PM. However, after the last Iftar of then President Pranab Mukherjee in 2017, the event stopped at Rashtrapati Bhavan as well.
While being the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s strong leader Ram Naik always used to organize Iftar party. But in 2018 and 2019, Yogi Adityanath did not attend his party. After his departure, UP Raj Bhavan also became deprived of Iftar.
Iftar and BJP in 2025
At the central level, BJP’s Iftar parties were not seen this year, but instead, 32 lakh kits of Saugat-e-Modi have been distributed across the country. This should be considered as an Iftar from PM Modi for the Muslims of the whole country. A few days ago, PM Modi also participated in a Sufi conference, where he also praised Amir Khusro a lot. Anyway, the PM has been sending a chaadar to Ajmer Khwaja every year. Obviously, the top leadership is followed. This is the reason why at the local level, the participation of BJP leaders in Iftar parties is seen to be more this year.
This year, leaders like Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, state president Virendra Sachdeva, Delhi minister Parvesh Verma and Shahnawaz Hussain participated in the Iftar organized by India Islamic Center and Minority Morcha. Delhi Haj Committee chairperson and BJP leader Kausar Jahan organized an Iftar party at her residence on March 15, a day after Holi. Many political personalities and common people including CM Rekha Gupta and cabinet minister Parvesh Verma participated in this event.
CM Rekha Gupta wrote on her X handle, I got the opportunity to share the message of harmony and unity with all the brothers and sisters in the ‘Dawat-e-Iftar’ program organized by BJP Minority Morcha (Delhi Pradesh). Our culture is a symbol of mutual respect, love and harmony and such programs further strengthen unity and harmony in the society. This was the second Iftar party in which BJP leaders participated after BJP formed the government in Delhi after ending a decade-long rule.
Iftar and BJP’s allies and opposition in 2025
Congress also distanced itself from Iftar in view of the formation of Modi government and the rise of Hindutva in the country. Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who used to organise Iftar parties in five star hotels while Samajwadi Party was in power, had also given up Iftar parties for some years. BSP supremo Mayawati has also now kept her distance from this event. However, Iftar parties were being organised in large numbers in the southern states. But this year the atmosphere seems to have changed. The picture of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s Iftar is in the headlines these days. Due to the assembly elections in Bihar, Iftar is being celebrated everywhere. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar hosted a feast at the CM residence, in which many leaders including BJP’s deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary participated.
On behalf of Congress, MP Imran Pratapgarhi hosted an Iftar party in Delhi, which was attended by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Lalu Prasad hosted a party in Patna and showed his influence among the Muslim community. In Mumbai, BJP ally Ajit Pawar hosted an Iftar party and said that those who try to disrespect Muslim brothers will not be spared.
Why the political atmosphere seems to have changed
BJP did not play the game of polarisation in the assembly elections of Maharashtra and Delhi and even after that it got a lot of support from the public. The party has understood that by targeting the minority community too much, their Hindu votes also get spoiled. Muslim votes get united in opposition but they do not get any benefit from Hindu votes . Their formula of uniting Hindus did not work in Jharkhand. In Maharashtra, NCP and Shiv Sena Shinde group had also fielded Muslim candidates. BJP also campaigned for them. BJP has to fight a big battle in Bihar and Bengal. Minorities have a lot of influence in both these states. Therefore, BJP wants to carry its liberal face along with the face of hardline Hindutva. Obviously, seeing BJP, the opposition and allies also kept distance from Iftar events. When BJP itself started participating in these events, the opposition also got an opportunity.
