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The Rediff Special/ George Iype

December is an important month in the capital. For, along with the welcome chill of winter, arrives the season of iftar diplomacy. Ministers, members of Parliament, religious leaders and politicians of all hues are vying with each other to host sumptuous iftar dinners.

For many, the holy month of Ramzan seems the right occasion to make a political statement. For others, it is a chance to interact with foes and write new political equations.

The only people who do not seem too happy are the Muslim religious leaders, who lament that the piety associated with Ramzan is not in evidence at the innumerable iftar parties hosted in the capital. Instead, the political colour of these events is all too prominent.

This year, for example, it is not the Chicken Jahangiri or Mutton korma that generates conversation at the iftar parties. Instead, the topic for discussion is the Ramzan ceasefire announced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in Kashmir.

It could be the reason why Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and his son, Union Minister of State for Commerce Omar Abdullah, are virtually permanent fixtures at the iftar dinners. Others like Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi and dozens of diplomats from various Arab countries also register their presence, attempting to make a point here and a point there.

From President K R Narayanan, Prime Minister Vajpayee, Home Minister L K Advani, Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi to ministers, MPs, party leaders, diplomats and industrialists, iftar parties are no longer a celebration of the end of Ramzan's daily fast. Instead, they are the biggest political get-togethers in the capital these days.

Congress MP and Deputy Rajya Sabha Chairperson Dr Najma Heptullah, an avid iftar party goer, begs to differ. She feels it is wrong to dub iftar dinners as "political get-togethers."

"Iftar parties generate feelings of communal harmony and peace," she says.

Dr Heptullah accepts that political discussions take place at iftar dinners. "There is nothing abnormal in political leaders and ministers debating matters concerning the country. I have attended five iftar dinners so far and, at each of these dinners, I heard everybody discussing the Kashmir ceasefire."

This year's iftar season was launched by Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh, who hosted the first party on November 28. "I am happy I started this year's celebrations. I wanted to make it the sweetest and the most memorable iftar party, so I personally selected the menu," says Singh, whose itinerary is packed with iftar invitations.

Next fortnight, he says, he will attend at least 50 iftar parties. "It is not the food that matters to me. Iftar parties are great occasions to mingle with friends and political foes. In fact, I attend at least two iftar dinners every evening."

Singh held his iftar dinner at Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's bungalow, which has a more spacious lawn. The menu included Keema kaleji, Mutton korma, Chicken Jahangiri, Shahi paneer tikka, Kashmiri pulao, dates, watermelon, pomegranate and exotic fruit juices. "The topic of discussion," he says, "was Kashmir."

The menu depends on the host's culinary inclinations. Accordingly, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Madan Lal Khurana makes it a point to host iftar dinners with a Punjabi flavour -- Amritsari fish jostles for space among Sheermal and Mutton korma at his table.

Now that President Narayanan has hosted his iftar party, there are two iftar dinners every MP eagerly looks forward to. One will be hosted by Prime Minister Vajpayee, the other by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"These days," quips a Congress MP, "BJP leaders host the maximum number of iftar parties. It looks like they want to ease the guilt of demolishing the Babri Masjid. The BJP leaders seem to believe that throwing iftar parties is the best way to display their so-called secular credentials."

Last Ramzan, Vajpayee hosted the season's most popular iftar party. It was held five days before Id, on January 4. The PMO is yet to announce the date for this Ramzan's iftar party. It is expected the dinner will take place before December 22 when Parliament takes a Christmas break.

The iftar dinner hosted by Sonia Gandhi is watched for the wrong reasons. Those who are not invited are said to be out of favour with the Congress leader.

"If I am not invited to the iftar party," said a Congress MP from south India, "it means I am not in Sonia's good books. Which is why leaders like me anxiously wait for the invitation card from 10, Janpath."

Last year, Sonia's invitees -- 578 people in all -- included Muslim MPs from all parties, Congress Working Committee members, prominent Delhi citizens, diplomatic corps from the Islamic countries, Muslim journalists and bureaucrats.

It is not politicians alone who enjoy iftar hospitality. Stars from Bombay's film industry make several trips to Delhi to grace these dinners. Don't be surprised if you find the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Feroz Khan, Manoj Kumar, Sanjay Khan and Sunil Dutt at these events.

While iftar dinners have become a rage among Delhi's movers and shakers, Muslim commentators lament that the occasion has fallen into a rut.

"The idea, perhaps," says commentator Firoz Bakht Ahmad, "is to show that politicians are one with the minority community. Unfortunately, Mughlai cuisine seems to be the only indicator of communal harmony." He says iftar parties began in Delhi after the Turkman Gate riots during the Emergency.

Then prime minister Indira Gandhi commenced this trend in an attempt to appease the angry Muslims of Old Delhi. She said such parties provided her an opportunity to mix with the public; besides, it was a festive cause.

Journalist-writer Abdul Wajood Sajid agrees. "Iftar parties began in Delhi when Mrs Gandhi was wooing the Muslim community. Now they have become mandatory, especially for the ruling party."

Every year, prominent imams in the city issue fatwas against attending iftar parties hosted by politicians. This year too, just as the Ramzan month began, Shahi Imam Abdullah Bukhari of the Jama Masjid issued a fatwa, terming the iftar parties hosted by politicians as "a vulgar display of material wealth and power. Instead of highlighting the Islamic character of this holy month, iftar parties have been politicised."

The incensed imams say the leaders compromise the spirit behind the holy month by using the occasion to discuss politics, cultivate social clout and settle scores. Last year, the imams wrote to a number of MPs, asking them to desist from serving alcohol at iftar parties.

These days, some Muslim journals are up in arms against the iftar parties hosted by political leaders.

According to the Milli Gazette, the original purpose of the iftar congregation was to serve food to the downtrodden, the deprived and travellers. 'By indulging in iftar diplomacy, politicians are making a mockery of this otherwise solemn and dignified rite. A lot of wheeling and dealing takes place at these iftars of diplomacy,' it said.

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