Mixed response to revocation of Haj subsidy by government

lucknow — The decision of the union government to scrap Haj subsidy and divert it to welfare of Muslim women and education of girls has evoked a mixed response from Muslim leaders and clerics in India.

While most of them have welcomed the move as “long awaited”, some say that the Narendra Modi government should not take decisions that seem to single out one community. They have also demanded that in comparison to subsidy a global tender for air tickets was a better option.

Maulana Sayyed Abbas Naqvi of the Shia Chand Committee is not too happy with the decision of the Modi government to scrap the subsidy and opined that Haj subsidy was something that sent a good message internationally but now it will paint Indian government as being hostile to the Muslim community.

Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali of the Aishbagh Eidgah said on Wednesday that the Muslim community was earning a bad name for the Haj subsidy it was getting and hence many of the Muslim organisations had for long been demanding that it be done away with.

“There should be an open process of tenders for air tickets, I am sure most airlines will agree to scaling down their fares.”

Fazle Mannan Rahmani of the Teele Waali mosque, however, said that Haj was a matter related to religion and the government was better advised not to have revoked the subsidy.

“It is sad and strange both that a government which was talking of sabka saath-sabka vikas, was targeting one community one way or the other to please the majority community” he said.

President of the All-India Sunni Board Maulana Mohammad Mushtaq Naqvi says the move will not affect the Haj pilgrims as the subsidy was basically to benefit Air India, the national carrier.

Now that the government has cancelled the subsidy, he said, it should honestly float a global tender for air tickets.

Shia cleric Maulana Habeeb Haider said that they will wait and watch closely on how the Rs7 billion funds spent as Haj subsidy would be diverted to welfare of Muslim girls and women.

UP Health Minister state government spokesman Siddhartha Nath Singh said that the government has welcomed the move and believes this would “really empower the women and girls of the minority community”.

Critics have long argued that India, a secular country, should not extend handouts to any religious community for their faith-based celebrations. India’s top court in 2012 said the scheme should be phased out, and that it contravened a fundamental tenet of Islam — that only those who could afford to make the pilgrimage do so.

But the government spends millions for Hindus undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar and Kumbh Mela, a sacred bathing ritual that draws millions of pilgrims.

MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi challenged the central government to stop the financial assistance and subsidy given to Hindu pilgrims in different parts of the country.

Reacting to the government’s move lifting Haj subsidy, the MP said the BJP, the RSS and others were raising a hue and cry over just Rs2 billion and terming this as appeasement of minorities while hundreds of crores of rupees were being provided for pilgrimage and religious events in various states.

Owaisi said the Haj subsidy anyway would have been phased out by 2022 as per the order of the Supreme Court and hence there was no need for the Narendra Modi government to create a hype over this.

The Hyderabad Member of Parliament asked if the Bharatiya Janata Party governments at the

It is sad and strange both that a government which was talking of sabka saath-sabka vikas, was targeting one community one way or the other to please the majority community.” Fazle Mannan Rahmani, Teele Waali mosque’s representative

The move will not affect the haj pilgrims as the subsidy was basically to benefit air India. Maulana Mohd Mushtaq Naqvi, President of the All-India Sunni Board

Centre and in the states would phase out other subsidies as well.

“I am asking the BJP, the Prime Minister and the RSS if Haj subsidy was appeasement, then what was Rs11.5 billion allotted in 2014 for the Kumbh mela, Rs1billion given by the Modi government last year to Madhya Pradesh government for Simhastha maha kumbh and Rs34 billion spent by Madhya Pradesh for the same.”

In Gujarat, the state government for the last many years has been giving money to Hindu priests. “Is this not appeasement and vote bank politics,” he asked. —