New Delhi, June 9: Continuing with its annual tradition of hosting an annual iftar party in the month of Ramzan, the Congress has announced the same for June 13 this year. The iftar party would be held at Delhi's Taj Palace Hotel.

Congress' iftar each year is keenly viewed by political analysts as a host of leaders from like-minded and Opposition parties are invited, along with foreign envoys and Muslim dignitaries.

The delayed iftar party announcement also raised speculations whether the Congress, under the presidency of Rahul Gandhi, is looking o boycott the tradition, adopted since the days of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Rahul Gandhi's spree of temple visits in the run-up to the Gujarat assembly elections, along with a muted outreach towards the Muslim community, led to speculations whether the Congress would skip the iftar party in a bid to de-tag itself as a "pro-minority" party.

Notably, the announcement of iftar party also comes in the backdrop of the controversy stoked up by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who organised a Rs 66-crore iftar party in Hyderabad on Friday. The iftar was attended by AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi. "It was by the mercy of the almighty that statehood for Telangana could be achieved," KCR said while addressing the gathering at the iftar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2018 02:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).