Moments after the Centre’s Narendra Modi government announced the withdrawal of Hajj subsidy, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi posed three questions to the BJP governments both at the Centre and in states.
In a series of tweets, Owaisi asked, “Haj Subsidy BJP /RSS had called It appeasement,vote Bank Pol my Qs to BJP will you bring a Bill in parliament remove Article 290A of Constitution,Will BJP Tell Yogi govt to stop 800 crore for pilgrimage to Ayodhya,Kashi,Mathura 1.5 lakh to each Manasarovar yatri? (sic)”
#Haj Subsidy BJP /RSS had called It appeasement,vote Bank Pol my Qs to BJP will you bring a Bill in parliament remove Article 290A of Constitution,Will BJP Tell Yogi govt to stop 800 crore for pilgrimage to Ayodhya,Kashi,Mathura 1.5 lakh to each Manasarovar yatri?
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 16, 2018
In another tweet, the AIMIM MP from Hyderabad asked, “Haj Subsidy 3 Qs to BJP/RSS Why did Haryana government give 1 Crore to Dera Sacha Sauda? Was it for electoral appeasement? 4qs why did Modi govt gave grant of 100 crore to MP govt for Simhastha Maha Kumbh & MP govt had spend 3,400 crore was this not appeasement?(sic)”
#Haj Subsidy 3 Qs to BJP/RSS Why did Haryana government give 1 Crore to Dera Sacha Sauda was it for electoral appeasement?4qs why did Modi govt gave grant of 100 crore to MP govt for Simhastha Maha Kumbh & MP govt had spend 3,400 crore was this not appeasement?
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) January 16, 2018
Owaisi made it clear that he had been demanding the removal of Hajj subsidy since 2006 while also advocating that the money be used for the education and upliftment of Muslim girls. He added that the subsidy this year was Rs 200 crore, which would have been phased out by 2022 as per the Supreme Court order.
The AIMIM MP also highlighted how Rajasthan’s BJP government too had allocated Rs 38.91 crores ‘in 2017-18 for Devasthan dept. (sic)’
He said, “The last government had Rs 260 million for temple renovation and training of Hindu priests. Is this not Appeasement and vote bank politics?”
Owaisi claimed that even Karnataka’s Congress government had given ‘Rs 20,000 crore to each pilgrims who undertakes pilgrimage to Chardham. So is this Not Appeasement of Majority?(sic)”
He challenged the Modi government to ‘walk the talk by allocating Rs 20,000 crores for Muslim girls scholarships (pre matric, post matric,merit cum means ).’
He asked, “Will Modi do it? I doubt. Will wait and see in next budget of 2018-19.”
Under Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, both Delhi and Madhya Pradesh governments have been providing subsidy to various pilgrimages for senior citizens and their attendants. MP is the only state that subsidises travel to holy places in Pakistan (Nankana Saheb Shrine and Hinglaj Mata temple), China (Kailash Man Sarovar), Cambodia (Angkor Vat) and Sri Lanka (Sita Mandir and Ashok Vatika), reported Outlook.
Governments in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand provide money to residents going on the Manasarovar yatra to cover a part of the expenses, which amount to about Rs 1.5 lakh each, the report by Outlook further added.
