2019 Lok Sabha elections: Rahul Gandhi likely to meet Muslim intellectuals today

New Delhi, July 11: Ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to meet a group of Muslim intellectuals on Wednesday.

According to the media reports, Gandhi is expected to meet 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.

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.

For Media
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

— Shabnam Hashmi (@ShabnamHashmi) July 10, 2018

Rahul will not meet religious or fundamentalist Muslim leaders but only progressive and moderate intellectuals of the community, reported News agency ANI quoting sources.

The meeting is being organised by a senior Cabinet Minister to discuss challenges being faced by the Muslim community under the current regime.

According to Congress Minority Department Chairman Nadeem Javed, Rahul had met different leaders of different communities in the past and observed that dialogue with intellectuals leads to constructive outcome.