Lucknow: In keeping with his policy of “no discrimination, no appeasement,” UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath is not likely to host the annual iftar party at his residence.
A senior official in the chief minister’s secretariat said that “as of now, the chief minister will not be hosting the annual iftar party to which all important Muslim clerics and eminent citizens are invited.”
“Yogi Adityanath is the chief priest of the Gorakshpeeth in Gorakhpur and is not comfortable with such events. He feels it would be better if he can provide a safe and secure environment for Muslims,” the official said. The chief minister, however, did hold a Navratri lunch for his cabinet colleagues and party MLAs after he took over as chief minister.
The tradition of iftar parties was started in 1974 by the then chief minister, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, whose daughter Rita Bahuguna Joshi is, incidentally, is a senior minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.
All chief ministers including Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh have followed the tradition though Ram Prakash Gupta was an exception.
Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali , the Imam of Idgah and a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said that the tradition of hosting iftar parties reflected communal harmony and mutual respect. “The decision, however, rests entirely with the chief minister,” he stated.
Yogi Adityanath, apparently, is following in the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue.
The Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, however, will be hosting iftar parties in the third week of June.
