National
Messages from Sonia's 'Iftaar'
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, DEC 11. The Comptroller and Auditor General bombshell in and outside Parliament and the presence of almost the entire Opposition leadership and members of the NDA, at the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi's `iftaar' today sent out strong political signals.
For the BJP-led Government at the Centre, it was an indication of troubled times ahead. And, for the hitherto fractured Opposition, it was yet another public demonstration of its growing cohesion.
Significantly, this evening's gathering and the bonhomie on display also indicated the end of the Congress' political isolation and the growing acknowledgement of Ms. Gandhi as a leader in her own right.
The `iftaar' stood out both for its ambience and food, and the presence of political leaders and personalities from a cross section of society. Diplomats, celebrities, media personalities and a large number of Muslim clerics from Ajmer and Uttar Pradesh also attended the party.
The entire top brass of the Opposition, save the NCP leader, Mr. Sharad Pawar, were present. The CPI(M) general secretary, Mr. Harkishan Singh Surjeet, his CPI counterpart, Mr. A. B. Bardhan, Mr. D. Raja, die-hard Congress critics like Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mr. Amar Singh of the SP, former Prime Ministers, Mr. Chandra Shekhar and Mr. I. K. Gujral, the TMC's Mr. G.K. Vasan and Ms. Jayanti Natrajan, and Mr. Banatwala of the Muslim League, were all there.
Unlike last year, when only Ms. Mamata Banerjee attended the `iftaar,' this year the guests from the NDA camp included Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Mr. Sharad Yadav and the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, besides the irrepressible Mr. Shatrughan Sinha.
The entire Congress leadership, Chief Ministers and CWC members were in attendance. Ms. Gandhi's daughter, Ms. Priyanka Vadhra, along with her husband, Mr. Robert Vadhra, made a rare appearance, mingling freely with guests, particularly with those from Amethi.
When asked by presspersons if she planned to campaign in the coming elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Ms. Priyanka Vadhra said ``wait and see, you should be kept in some suspense.''
Ms. Gandhi arrived an hour before the guests did and went around greeting them as they came in. Later, talking to newspersons, she hit out at the Government in the light of the CAG report and demanded the resignation of the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes.``We believe that he must resign, it is absolutely appalling the way they have been doing business with the coffins of our martyrs.'' She indicated that the Opposition would jointly formulate a strategy to nail the Government.
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