The Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has announced that Iftar parties will be hosted across all districts on March 27 as part of the Ramzan festivities.
Naidu has sanctioned ₹1.5 crore for each district to organize the Iftar gatherings. In Vijayawada, the Chief Minister will personally host a grand state-level Iftar event at the A-Plus Convention Centre on the same evening.
The government has assured that all necessary arrangements have been made, with special attention to food quality, adherence to protocol, and overall hospitality.
While the announcement has been well-received, a key question circulating in political circles is whether Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan will attend the government-organized Iftar, particularly given his recent positioning as a staunch advocate of Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma.
In the past, Pawan Kalyan has undertaken spiritual fasts and spoken strongly in favor of protecting Hindu traditions.
His 11-day penance in response to alleged adulteration of laddus at the Tirumala temple and his Varahi Declaration in Tirupati are cited as evidence of his commitment to Sanatana Dharma.
He has also demanded dedicated funds and protection for Hindu temples. Against this backdrop, his potential presence at a government-hosted Iftar has raised eyebrows.
BJP leaders, his alliance partners, have been openly critical of such events and have refrained from participating in them. Notably, Pawan Kalyan himself has never attended an Iftar dinner in the past.
However, as the Deputy Chief Minister, he may now be expected to attend as part of his official duties. If he chooses to skip the event, it could signal alignment with the BJP’s stance and risk alienating Muslim voters across the state.
