Iftar and BJP allies: JD(U), TDP measure lay of the table

On March 23, this non-partisan space of political socialisation turned into a ground for political point-scoring as a prominent Muslim organisation in Bihar, the Imarat-e-Shariah, boycotted the “sarkari” iftaar hosted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in protest against his support for the Waqf Amendment Bill. Though the Imrarat-e-Shariah was supported by six other organisations, Congress leaders in Bihar were among those who warned against mixing “politics with festivities”.

The same day, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, another BJP ally, criticised the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s (JUH) decision to boycott the iftar party of his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). A day earlier, the JUH had said it would not participate in iftar, Eid Milan, and other such functions organised by self-proclaimed secular leaders such as Nitish Kumar, TDP chief and Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, and Paswan.

For some leaders of the BJP’s allies, which have a long history of engaging with the Muslim community in their state and a culture of hosting iftars, there is a sense of unease in Bihar over the protests by Muslim outfits.

“The way the BJP has polarised the atmosphere in the past few years has had an impact on us (allies). At present, the JD(U) has no Muslim MLA. The majority of Muslims support the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD),” said a JD(U) leader.

However, despite the boycott call, several Muslim leaders, including those from Imarat-e-Shariah, turned up for the government’s iftar event, JD(U) insiders said, adding that the party leadership knew that its support for the Waqf Bill had not gone down well with Muslims. The JD(U) has tried to contain the damage, highlighting how, under Nitish Kumar, allocation for Muslim welfare has gone up from Rs 3.5 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 1,000 crore in 2025-26. The party has also promoted a dozen schemes aimed at the minority community, including the fencing of more than 8,000 cemeteries.

“We analysed that the party got a sizeable percentage of Muslim votes in the 2009 Lok Sabha and 2010 Assembly polls,” said a senior JD(U) leader. “In 2015, we were part of the Mahagathbandhan and got a very good percentage of Muslim votes because of the conversion of RJD and Congress votes. It was only in 2020 when we hardly got any Muslim votes. We have been working hard to win back some minority votes. Our Minority Welfare Minister, Jama Khan, has been talking a lot about minority welfare schemes. Iftar provides us a great opportunity to know the Muslim mind. Iftari is much more beyond symbolism.”

Though not in the context of Bihar, Chirag Paswan has disagreed with the police in Meerut, UP, warning against namaz on streets, saying that the violators will face legal action that may lead to the registration of criminal cases and cancellation of passports and licences.

“I believe that these are useless issues … I am a youth of the 21st century, one should not interfere in religious matters as these are matters of personal faith …  I do not agree with such politics. I believe that in today’s time there are bigger issues that need to be addressed, and we need to talk about that rather than just talking about Hindus and Muslims,” the Union Minister said at the Times Now Summit on Friday.

Bihar

In Bihar, CM Dr Jagannath Mishra of the Congress is credited with initiating iftaar politics in the mid-1970s. The RJD, which largely depends on Muslim-Yadav votes, has been organising iftar since 1990 with much fanfare, including one this year. The JD(U) too has joined in organising iftar parties in a big way after coming to power in 2005.

Former MP Ali Anwar Ansari, the head of the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz that is an organisation working for the cause of backward Muslims, said, “The politics of iftar has only gained ground with a sharp binary created on the lines of religion. Iftar represents bonhomie and the Ganga-Jamuni composite culture.”

Asked about the BJP’s recently announced Saugat-e-Modi initiative for minorities, Ansari, who recently joined the Congress, said, “The Congress has been the pioneer of iftar culture. Saugat-e-Modi is nothing but a placebo. The BJP earlier talked about Sneh Yatra in the Muslim belt and uses ‘Pasmanda (backward Muslims)’ these days. Since the BJP has been facing too much resistance on the Waqf Bill, it has been trying to reach out to Muslims. But it will not work.”

Andhra Pradesh

The TDP that is also having to walk a fine line over its support for the Waqf Bill in Parliament has promised to protect Waqf Board properties in the state. Last Thursday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu participated in an iftar dinner organised by his overnment in Vijayawada, as well as participated in prayers led by Muslim religious leaders.

“Several Muslim organisations had announced they would boycott the iftar by the state government and the TDP. But TDP leaders reached out to them and explained that the party had pointed out the objectionable amendments in the Waqf Bill and was working on it. Muslims did not take the boycott seriously because the Bill has not yet been presented in Parliament, not even the draft. The state government sent out 1,500 invitations for the Vijayawada dinner, and more than 4,500 guests attended. Similarly, TDP iftar parties in all the districts have been well attended,” TDP minority cell general secretary Fathullah Mohammad told The Indian Express, adding: . “That does not mean Muslims agree with the Bill, they are opposed to it as well as the politics around it.”

Mohammad said the TDP has been organising iftar dinners since it was established in 1982. “N T Rama Rao (party founder and former CM) himself organised iftar parties or was the chief guest. Chandrababu Naidu, whether he is CM or not, has always organised iftars,” he added.

TDP leaders in several other cities, towns, and mandals also hosted iftar dinners to reach out to Muslims unhappy with the Waqf Amendment Bill. “Not only TDP leaders, but JanaSena Party and BJP leaders too attended some of the parties. As the TDP is an NDA partner, and with debate about the Waqf Amendment Bill going on, many felt that it would be a tense situation this time, but it did not turn out like that,’’ a TDP leader said.

YSR Congress Party leader Shaik Asif criticised Naidu for holding the iftar party, accusing him of playing a “double game” on the Waqf Bill. He said the CM had adopted a “two-faced approach” toward Muslims and reiterated the YSRCP’s consistent opposition to the Bill.