Rashtrapati Bhavan will not host an Iftar party this year as President Ram Nath Kovind said there should no religious observance at taxpayers’ expense in the public building.
“After the President took over office, he decided there would be no religious celebrations or observances in a public building such as Rashtrapati Bhavan on taxpayer expense. This is in keeping with the principles of a secular state and applies to all religious occasions, irrespective of religion,” said Ashok Malik, Press Secretary to the President, adding that the President wishes all fellow citizens on every major religious festival.
“Officials and employees living in the President’s Estate premises are absolutely free to celebrate any religious festival of their choice in the privacy of their homes.”
“President’s Estate has religious institutions, such as a temple, a gurudwara and a masjid, erected by and for residents. On major festive occasions, the President does visit these to wish people. For example, he recently visited the masjid to mark the holy month of Ramzan,” he added.
It is after a gap of a decade that there will be no Iftar celebrations at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. During the tenure of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, who was the President from 2002-2007, Iftar wasn’t hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Iftar is the breaking of ‘roza’, a dawn-to-dusk fast observed by Muslims every day during the month of Ramzan.