Others stay off Iftar, for Sonia party goes on

The Prime Minister, sources say, will not be celebrating Iftar because he will be away on a tour to Syria, Russia and Tajikistan, and after his return will be busy with campaigning for Assembly polls. Vajpayee did not host an Iftar party last year either.

Kalam has not hosted any Iftar party since he assumed office. It is the second Ramzaan for the President. Sources say he believes in spending the money in charity. Last year, he had donated money to three orphanages.

Sonia, however, will be hosting an Iftar party in a big way by inviting leaders from friendly parties. Her guest list includes BSP leader Mayawati, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI leaders D. Raja and A.B. Bardhan and CPM leaders Somnath Chatterjee and Sitaram Yechuri. Sources say she will be using the occasion, not only to woo the minorities, but to win over leaders from like-minded parties on the eve of Assembly polls in five states.

Last year, Mayawati was not in her guest-list. Her inclusion this time may annoy Mulayam but for Sonia, this is the right time to enter into a tacit understanding with her in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi to defeat their common enemy, the BJP.

Though Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony is accusing the Left of trying to topple him, as part of a secret deal with his rival K. Karunakaran, the Congress president is unperturbed. Almost all senior Left leaders are on her guest list.

Besides Sonia, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan will also be hosting an Iftar party on November 20. He has been holding Iftar parties every year. For the BJP, hosting Iftar means risking the Hindu vote it is banking on. The last time it had hosted an Iftar bash was during the tenure of BJP president Bangaru Laxman, soon after he became the chief in 2001. Vajpayee and Advani had both attended the party. This time, Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain held an Iftar party.