Haj subsidy is a paradox in every sense of the term. It is good that it stands scrapped and the controversy surrounding it is at rest. This move was mandated following the Supreme Court order of 2012 calling for the Haj subsidy to be phased out over ten years. It was also suggested by the Amanullah Committee set up by the Minorities Affairs ministry. The central government has decided to do scrap it forthwith and it is hoped that there would be no more politics over it from any side. It is important to note that the Haj subsidy [which is an indirect subsidy given to an airline] has been going down consistently over the years. It was Rs 685 crore in 2011 and came down to Rs 200 crore in 2017. Whether or not it benefited the Hajis, it definitely fueled politics around what is known as minority appeasement in our country.
Government subsidies for religious purposes must be avoided in a secular country. This is a Constitutional imperative. The public money should be spent on health, education, roads and other needs of the people and not on Kailash Mansarovar yatra or Haj or any other religious pilgrimage. It is for the citizens to work out their private religious matters and the government should have no role in this regard. Although, it is becoming fashionable in our country for various state governments to subsidise pilgrimages to different places of religious worship. The Madhya Pradesh government runs a scheme that enables subsidised visits to Mathura, Chardham, Ajmer etc for senior citizens. The Gujarat government too has subsidised travel to religious pilgrimage places for senior citizens. The Constitutional obligations of the government concerns different rights of citizens in the present world such as food, housing, education, health, safety, dignity. What happens in afterlife should not concern the government. In this regard the present development is welcome.
As the Minorities Affairs Minister put it, "The Muslims are not benefiting from this Haj subsidy.” In reality the Rs 200 crore spent on subsidy in 2017 is the amount paid to Air India to supplement the losses suffered due to rules imposed by Saudi Arabia. The Hajis travelling through the aegis of the Haj Committee do not get any concession in their Haj expenses. In fact, their travel would be much cheaper if they fly through other options. So, the “Haj subsidy enjoyed by Muslims” is a misnomer; the squabbling around appeasement politics is sheer humbug. It is based on half-truths, ignorance and of course, ideology.
On another important note, a Muslim cannot perform Haj with subsidy money. As per the Quran, Haj is the duty of every Muslim who has fulfilled all his worldly responsibilities and obligations. It is a duty for those who can afford the expenses, that is, one’s travel, provisions and residence. The Supreme Court order of 8th May, 2012 calling for scrapping of Haj subsidy quoted from the Quranic verses that emphasise on the duty of Haj for those who can afford it. All able persons going for Haj must afford and pay for their own Haj. In other words, the need for subsidy is not supported by the religious requirements.
The Minorities Affairs minister is also quoted as saying that the money saved by scrapping the subsidy will be used for education and to empower minorities. This, if achieved, would be a laudable goal. If implemented, this would be in keeping with the slogan of sabka saath, sabka vikas that was given by the Prime Minister, who was at the time contending for the top job in the general elections of 2014. The principle of secularism enshrined in our Constitution demands that government is kept separate from religion. It means that the government must not subsidise religious pilgrimage.
(Author is women's rights activist and one of the founding members of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan)
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