D.P.T.:- SHAFIQ SHAIKH

In his address to the nation Tuesday, PM Modi mentioned up to twelve upcoming festivals till the end of the year, but failed to mention Eid which is next month.

The Prime Minister of a nation with 172 million Muslims citizens did not mention the festival of Eid, which is in August, in his address to the nation Tuesday. Narendra Modi rattled off the names of all upcoming festivals such as Guru Purnima, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Durga Puja, Chhath Puja, and Kati Bihu. He even announced an extension of the Centre’s free-ration scheme till the end of November, and detailed how much wheat, rice and chana families would get.

But there was no mention of Eid.

“From July onwards, the atmosphere of festivals begins to develop. Now see, we have Guru Purnima on 5 July. Then Saawan (month of Hindu calendar) will start. We will then have 15 August, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam. If you move further ahead, we have Bihu, Navaratri, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, Chhath Puja,” he said in his 15-minute address.

Guru Purnima is the closest upcoming festival, followed by Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Janmashtami, all of which fall in the month of August. But Modi decided to take a convenient leap till Diwali, Durga Puja and Kati Bihu, completely skipping Bakri Eid, which will be on 31 July – 1 August.

This is new India where Muslim festivals can be ignored. But is this an act of omission or commission?

Also read: No hug, handshake, namaz at mosque: Muslim scholars urge community to celebrate Eid at home

A deliberate slip-up

Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMM president, pointed out that Modi made it a point to mention chana in his address, but failed to mention Eid. Nonetheless, Owaisi wished the PM Eid Mubarak. Activist-scholar Umar Khalid questioned Modi’s popular claim of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.