According to media reports, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is expected to meet a group of intellectuals from the Muslim community on Wednesday evening at his residence as part of the party's outreach to various sections ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
According to informed sources, those expected to meet Gandhi include lyricist Javed Akhtar, actress Shabana Azmi, academician Zoya Hasan, social activist Shabnam Hashmi, former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed and Syed Zafar Mahmood, former OSD to ex-prime minister Manmohan Singh.
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— Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) July 10, 2018
I have no idea about Rahul Gandhi's meeting tomorrow. I have neither been invited nor am I meeting him.
6 diff media houses called me in a span of an hour so I am tweeting this to avoid any further calls on this. I am not in Delhi. @ANI @PTI_News @UNIVARTA
However, Hashmi has commented via social media that she had no idea of such a meeting with Gandhi. She clarified she had received no invitation for a meeting with Gandhi.
Interestingly, all the intellectuals expected to meet Gandhi have generally been regarded as 'liberal' Muslims. According to sources, Gandhi won't meet any 'hardline' elements from the Muslim community.
While the Congress on Tuesday tried to distance itself from the meeting, Congress's minority department chairman Nadeem Javed said Gandhi had met leaders of different communities in the past also.