Political leaders cutting across party lines have condemned the Centre’s decision to withdraw the subsidy for Haj pilgrims.
DMK working president M.K. Stalin on Wednesday condemned the Centre’s decision to cancel the Haj subsidy and urged the BJP to reconsider the move.
“The regressive decision of the BJP-led Central government to end the subsidy in spite of its constitutionality having been upheld by the Supreme Court is condemnable. The efforts by the BJP to pull our nation’s trajectory away from its secular ideals is insidious,” he tweeted.
In a statement, the DMK leader said that the Centre was rolling back all subsidies in a phased manner, but was not showing the same urgency when it came to the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board and the issues facing the Aadhaar programme.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the State government would ask the Centre to have a relook at its policy on withdrawing the Haj subsidy.
“As far as the Tamil Nadu government is concerned, we will ask the Centre to reconsider the decision of the Haj subsidy withdrawal,” he said speaking to reporters at the party headquarters.
MDMK leader Vaiko said that since the Centre was only paying subsidy to Indian Airlines for flights to Saudi Arabia it was not appropriate to say that the subsidy was given to Muslim pilgrims.
PMK founder S. Ramadoss described the decision to discontinue the Haj subsidy as a regressive move.
DMDK president Vijayakanth said, “If they want to stop the Haj subsidy, the government should have stopped the subsidy for all religious communities. Religion should not determine whether a community receives subsidy.”
TNCC president Su. Thirunavukkarasar said the Centre wanted to create problems and hurdles for minorities.
M. Thamimun Ansari of the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi urged the Centre withdraw its decision.
Prince of Arcot’s defence
However, The Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, has welcomed the Centre’s decision to withdraw the subsidy. He said it was the right move even in the light of Shariat (Islamic law). The Haj pilgrimage was one of the obligatory duties of Muslim people. But, performing it on any sort of subsidy was not acceptable, he said.
Pointing out that Muslim clerics across the world have noted that the Haj subsidy was forbidden, he said other countries did not offer such subsidy.
The Prince of Arcot also hailed the Centre’s decision to divert the subsidy funds towards the education of minority communities and girl children.
