M A I N   N E W S

At Iftar, Sonia warms up to Sharad, Lalu
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27
king her first public appearance at any social event after debacle in Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today played host to a galaxy of political bigwigs, Muslim leaders and diplomats from Pakistan, West Asia and African countries at Iftar.

Dressed in a light green saree, Sonia occupied the high table with UPA allies, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad, JD-U chief Sharad Yadav and NCP's Tariq Anwar.

The Congress president was seen in conversation with her new-found friends in Bihar, where the Congress, RJD and JD-U have reached a rare understanding on the 10 seats for the upcoming Assembly byelection. The JD-U and RJD will contest four seats each and the Congress two.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi gave company to Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit. Twelve diplomats attended the Iftar hosted by Sonia, a first in three years, at a five-star hotel.

A galaxy of Congress leaders led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shared dinner with distinguished guests, including former Chief Election Commissioner SQ Quraishi and actor Sharmila Tagore.

Also on the guest list were Muslim leaders, including Abdul Wahab Khilji, head of the Ahle Hadees sect and general secretary of the Jamait-e-Islami. The party had invited National Conference leaders, but they stayed away. The guests feasted on a range of non-vegetarian and vegetarian delicacies.