A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliate will host an iftar party at Ayodhya tomorrow offering a glass of cow milk to those observing Roza (dawn-to-dusk fasting) to break their fast.
The Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) was set up in 2002 by the RSS, the ideological fountainhead of the ruling BJP, with an aim to reach out to the Muslims on various issues including the vexed Ayodhya dispute.
The MRM has invited all prominent Muslim citizens of the temple town, including Iqbal Ansari, son of late Hashim Ansari, the oldest litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title suit case, for the iftar, the first meal after the day’s fasting.
RSS veterans Indresh Kumar and Morari Das would be present at the event.
As per ritual, a Muslim breaks his fast during the month of Ramadan with dates or a glass of water. Fruit juices are also served at community iftar parties, often hosted by various organisations, including political parties. But it is unique to offer cow milk to end the fast.
Yummy non-vegetarian dishes are also an integral part of the iftar.
Indresh Kumar at an iftar party organised by the MRM at the Jamia Milia Islamia recently courted controversy saying that ‘meat is a poison’.
“From Prophet Adam to the last Prophet, and even the Prophet Muhammad’s wife Aisha, never ate ‘gosht.’ Meat is a disease. Milk is the cure and treatment,” he had said.
The MRM though regularly hosts iftars across the country, this year it is using the occasion to create awareness against the cow slaughter. That is why it is urging Muslims to break roza with cow’s milk and shun meat.
“Cow slaughter has been banned in Islam too. We are merely using the occasion to make the community aware about it,” said Raees Khan, in-charge of MRM’s UP and Uttarakhand chapters.
The Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in UP has decided to book those involved in cow slaughter under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), a decision that has been welcomed by the RSS.
Chief of UP’s main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) Akhilesh Yadav will host iftar on June 19 followed by one by Governor Ram Naik on June 23 and the Congress around the same period.
However, neither the UP CM nor any of his ministers have so far hosted the event despite the fact that politicians across parties have for years hosted iftars to reach out to the minority community.
Barring Former BJP CM Ram Prakash Gupta, all other previous CMs, including veterans like Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh of the saffron party hosted iftar as was also done by the Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a five-time Lucknow MP.
However, Adityanath apparently has taken the cue from PM Narendra Modi who hasn’t hosted Iftar in three years of being in power.
MRM defended Yogi. “The state doesn’t have any religion so why should it host iftars?” asked Morari Das.
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