Bring back iftar party tradition: Bengal Congress chief to PM

Claiming that there was resentment among the minority Muslim community over the central government breaking the age-old tradition of holding iftar parties during the month of Ramadan, West Bengal state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to continue the ritual.

"Ever since independence, all governments had extended iftar party to the people belonging to a community to express love, affection and (sense of) brotherhood," Chowdhury said in a letter to Modi.

"I belong to a constituency where I found resentment among the minority community that the present government is trying to alienate them from the mainstream by breaking the tradition," the letter said.

Chowdhury, who represents Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency in the Muslim-majority Murshidabad district, requested Modi to continue the tradition "which would be a fine gesture to brothers from the community".