Rahul Gandhi
The Congress will host an Iftar party in Delhi on June 13 after a gap of two years, a party leader said on Sunday. It will be, however, the Congress President Rahul Gandhi hosting the party after assuming the office. "The Iftar will begin around 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday," Congress Minority Department Vice Chairman Manish R. Shah said.
It will be held either at the Taj Palace Hotel or Ashoka Hotel. Iftar party is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast. It happens at sunset. The party's last Iftar was hosted by then Congress President Sonia Gandhi in 2015. The Iftar, coming at a time when the opposition is aiming for an anti-BJP alliance ahead of the 2019 general elections, is expected to see a host of leaders from all opposition parties and of all faiths.
The Congress move comes a few days after the Rashtrapati Bhavan decided not to host an Iftar this year, with President Ram Nath Kovind stating that there should no religious observance at taxpayer's expense at the public building.
General elections are due to be held in April or May 2019 to constitute the seventeenth Lok Sabha. And Congress is planning to give a tough fight to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(With IANS inputs)
