Airlines were actual beneficiary of Haj subsidy, govt only following SC directive: Congress

 Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad , AFPThe Congress on Tuesday said that by ending the Haj subsidy, the government is only following a Supreme Court directive which had asked the Centre in 2012 to gradually withdraw the financial aid to pilgrims. 

Responding to the government's decision, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the party hopes that the government would also follow the second part of the top court order which mandates the fund to be used for the Muslim community's welfare and education. 

"Government's decision to end the Haj subsidy was actually taken by a Supreme Court bench of Justice Aftab Alam in 2012. The court had said that the Haj subsidy should be gradually ended and the fund should be used for welfare and education of minorities," Azad said. 

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"The Supreme Court's order was to end this subsidy by 2022. The government has ended the subsidy, 4 years before the deadline, and we have no objection to it," he said. 

"The second part of the Supreme Court verdict was that the fund should be utilised for the welfare and education of minorities and I am sure that the government will adhere to this part of the verdict as well," the Rajya Sabha MP said. 

The Supreme Court in 2012 had directed the government to gradually eliminate the subsidy before 2022. 

Announcing the decision to end the subsidy, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the move is part of government's policy to "empower minorities with dignity and without appeasement." 

Debating the accusation of appeasement, Azad said pilgrims did not benefit from the subsidy and the airlines were the actual beneficiary.

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"Let this also be very clear that Hajis (Haj pilgrims) do not benefit from this but Airlines benefit from this. The actual fare from any part of the country to Jeddah is far less than what the airlines are charging, so the actual beneficiaries are the airlines," he said. 

"The government was pleasing the airlines and not the hajis. The government should now charge the same amount of fare as the airlines charge throughout the year," the Congress leader said. 

In response to a question, Azad said the government is only implementing the Supreme Court verdict and the party "welcomes the top court and not the government."