BJP’s Mukhtar Naqvi Throws Iftaar Party, But With A Difference 

The Iftaar party thrown by Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minority Affairs Minister in the Narendra Modi government, a day after that of Rahul Gandhi, is being celebrated as one with a difference. It saw over 300 women, many of whom were victims of instant talaq or an oppressive patriarchy, in attendance, reports Times of India.

Speaking on the sidelines of the party, Naqvi drew an interesting comparison between the Congress Iftaars and that of BJP leaders. He said the Congress hosted such parties with an eye on ‘political engineering’, while the BJP was far more inclusive and did it for ‘social engineering’. In other words, he was basically saying that the Congress treated Muslims as a votebank, while the BJP was concerned about their actual uplift and welfare.

Naqvi also said that in the near future, his ministry would hold ‘Progress Panchayats’ for the welfare of women in order to provide them a platform to raise their grievances. He said the BJP’s focus was to ensure dignity for Muslim women.

In support of the BJP’s minority outreach approach, Naqvi said it was only the Modi government that had taken the historic decision to ensure Muslim women could travel alone to Haj without the usual compulsory male companion.

“For the first time after Independence, Muslim officers would be posted in Saudi Arabia for Haj duty. A woman officer is also being deployed to help women who will travel solo,” Naqvi said.