Haj Subsidies: Thankless Help?
Recent news says Muslim bodies are supporting the UPA Govt’s plans (however genuine) to cut the annual Rs 900 Crores Haj Subsidy. And they have come up with some very interesting theories and reasons. . Muslim leaders back cutting Haj subsidy . The UPA government’s plan to gradually stop financing the Haj pilgrimage is a step in the right direction, several Muslim leaders have said. . Their backing is crucial for a clean pullout, without rubbing the community the wrong way. . From the Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind to the Milli Council, influential Muslim lobbies on Saturday said it was time the government pulled out of the Haj business. “The subsidy has been inconsequential,“ Rajya Sabha MP and Jamiat leader, Mahmood Madni told Hindustan Times. . About 1,50,000 Indian Muslims flock to Mecca each year for Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam. The government bankrolls the pilgrimage by partly paying the airfare. . Madni said the subsidy actually went in bailing out ...