Haj Subsidy, nothing but an eye-wash!

The Haj subsidy is an airfare subsidy given to Indian Muslim Hajj pilgrims. Pilgrims applying through the Haj Committee of India are offered the concessionary fare. The Government of India pays the subsidy to Air India. Basically Haj pilgrimage is ordained for or obligatory only on those who are physically and financially capable of performing the journey and the Hajjis do not need government financial subsidy. Secondly, Muslims do not like their Haj trip financed by any other person or by any Government body. Maulana Mehmood Madani, a member of the Rajya Sabha and general secretary of the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, declared that the Hajj subsidy is a technical violation of Islamic Sharia, since the Koran
declares that Hajj should be performed by Muslims using their own resources.
Then for what is this subsidy offered to the Haj pilgrims…It is only an eye-wash! But in reality it is an income offered to the loss-making Air India from going sick and thousand of its employees from being rendered jobless. The government gives some discounted amount to the Air India for their over-priced ticket. Hajjis receiving the supposed subsidy are only allowed to travel through Air India, thus filling the coffers of the Airlines considerably, since almost 1, 00,000 Hajjis are expected to go for Haj, every year. With lakhs of pilgrims every year going to Haj, any Airline in this world would gladly offer discount to such a huge number of passengers, should Hajjis be allowed to travel on their own as chartered trips could still be cheaper than the airfare charged by Air India. The Haj subsidy offered to Hajj pilgrims is nothing but a farce and the Government monopolized the Haj pilgrimage merely to protect the government run loss-making Air India. Since, Hajjis are actually providing Rupees 850 million to Rupees 900 million as revenue to Air India every year. That is why even the BJP Government during its 6 years tenure of
rule could not stop the supposed subsidy.
New Delhi’s subsidy for the Haj pilgrims began only in 1993, the year after the Babri Masjid demolition, when the then prime minister Narasimha Rao used it as soap in the hope of gaining over the sentiments of Muslim community. Indian Muslims did not demand the Hajj subsidy. In fact Muslim pilgrims have been performing Haj over 1000 years without hoping for any aid or help from others. Further, it was voiced by the community that the Haj Committees should be allowed to float a Global Tender to choose Airlines through bidding, which would result in still cheaper fares paid to them, without incurring a single paisa expense to the Government and away with the Haj subsidy. It is conceived that the Haj subsidy offered by the government to Indian pilgrims going through the Haj Committee is nothing but an imposition to travel by the Air India. Secondly, this subsidy is paid only to around 60 percent Indian pilgrims going through the Haj Committee, an official organization of the Indian government, while around 40 percent going through commercial operation are denied this subsidy.

We are also aware that the Government of India spends millions for the Kumbh Mela and for other pilgrimages of Hindus, in the name of facilities and securities arrangement done to them. The government spends crores of rupees on the internal administration of Hindu pilgrims like facilitating the Kumbh Mela, Vaishno Devi, Badrinath and other Tirth Yatras. The government also bears huge amounts to facilitate pilgrims belonging to Hindus and Sikhs going to Pakistan for religious pilgrimage. The BJP Government announced that it would begin paying monthly salaries to Hindu priests in the State. During the first phase, each priest of the 354 government-controlled devasthans, or temples, would be entitled to a monthly salary of about Rs 1200. As noted, Hindus do receive government subsidies for pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, and from a variety of other sources. First, the Ministry of External Affairs routes Rs 3250 to each Kailash Yatri. The Uttar Pradesh state government then adds Rs 5000 per pilgrim. The Delhi state government adds other Rs 5000 for any pilgrim from Delhi. Likewise, the Gujarat government gives a kit worth Rs 2500 to every yatri from that state. This kind of subsidy may well be given by other states as well, although such information is not publicly available.
Gujarat presents a particularly interesting case of state money being funneled towards Hindu causes. Is this not public money and subsidy….Then why the hue and cry? That Muslims are being given a motherly treatment and Hindus a step-motherly treatment by the government….