Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday announced in Delhi that there will be no subsidy for Haj from this year and had said the move was part of the government’s efforts to “empower minorities” without appeasement.
Chaudhary said, “The recent move by the Centre to end Haj subsidy for Muslims is ‘daman’ (an act of suppression)… In Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre, since the formation of the BJP-led governments, facilities being given to Muslims are being snatched one after the other.”
The senior Samajwadi Party leader also claimed that the BJP government is trying to terrorise the Muslims in order to bring them (Muslims) to support the party.
“After ending the Haj subsidy, the BJP government may take a decision to stop the funds given to the madrassas,” Chaudhary said.
He said, “The SP is with the Muslims, and once it comes back to power, it will restore all the facilities to the Muslims, which were stopped by the BJP government.”
Chaudhary also told the BJP that Muslims will not be feared by their (BJP’s) antics.
A record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will undertake the pilgrimage this year from India, Naqvi had said, adding the government had spent over Rs 250 crore last year on subsidising the annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Saudi Arabia.
The decision is in line with a 2012 Supreme Court order, asking the government to do away with the subsidy, which had long been sought by the BJP.
The BJP had cited the subsidy as an example of “Muslim appeasement” by parties such as the Congress.