Samajwadi party leader Azam Khan welcoming the abolition of the subsidy of Haj has charged that the move of the NDA government is inspired by the vote bank politics and to divert the attention of the people causing discomfiture to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Making a sarcastic comment on the government’s decision on Haj subsidy, the SP leader said Rs Rs it appears that the entire exchequer of the Central government was being utilized on bearing the cost of the subsidy to the muslims going for Haj pilgrimage and the loss caused to the exchequer must be recovered from the Haj pilgrims who had availed the benefit of the subsidy in last more than four decades’’. He added Rs Rs come what may Prime Minister Narendra Modi is desperate for consolidating vote bank and he would do anything for that’’.
SP leader alleged that the demonitisation, Goods and services tax and the death of children at the Medical college in Gorakhpur and the overall failure of the Modi government to deliver on the promises the BJP had made during the 2014 lok Sabha elections were some of the reason that prompted the government to announce the decision to abolish the Haj subsidy. Rs Rs I have no grievances against the government and I welcome the move to abolish the subsidy on Haj’’, added Azam Khan.
All India Husaini Sunni Board has questioned the motives of the government behind abolishing the Haj subsidy. Rs Rs Its beyond the comprehension of the common muslim as to what message the government wants to convey to the community and the people around the world by abolishing the haj subsidy’’, said Syed Junaid Ashraf, vice president of the board.
He said if the government by saving the expenditure on Haj subsidy for strengthening the economy then there is no room for complaint. Rs Rs If the government is sincere towards the Haj pilgrims then the government should invite tenders from the airline companies so as to benefit the haj pilgrims as round the year except the Haj pilgrimage the fare of airline is 40 percent less then what they charge from the Haj pilgrims’’, said the cleric.
A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had during the Congress led UPA regime in 2012, had directed that the Haj subsidy be done away with in gradual manner in next 10 years. The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs had in 2017 had constituted a committee to review the existing Haj policy and suggest a framework for a new Haj policy for 2018-22. The Haj subsidy was first introduced by the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to encourage Haj pilgrims to travel by air, abandoning the popular practice of journeying by sea route.