>From: "Sanjib Baruah" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Rajib Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > "Chan Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Cc: <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail >Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2001 14:30:37 -0400 > >Dear Mahanta, > >Actually the subsidy is neither that old, nor the politics that obvious. I >think it began in 1993. That was the year after the Babri Masjid >demolition -- so you can have a political interpretation. On the other hand >that was also a year after the organized haj pilgims began going by air. >Mostly the subsidy is actually an air fare subsidy; and it is managed by the >Civil Aviation ministry. It is connected to Air India being a government >organization. The air fare was fixed at Rs. 12,000 and the cost per person >has increased enormosly since then with the rise of the price of air fuel >and what not and, with it the government subsidy component. Last year the >Vajpayee government approached the Saudi government to increase the quota of >Indian pilgrims and have substantially increased the subsidy amount. > >The politics surrounding it is more amusing than anything else. Apart from >organizations like VHP, last year the Saudi government criticized the Indian >subsidy as being contrary to the Shariat. Pakistan does not have any such >subsidy! And in India no Muslim political organization ever asked for it. >And now of course, it is managed by the BJP-led government. Among the >changes it introduced (apart from increasing the subsidy amount), Air India >now leases aircrafts from a US aviation company. BJP's Promode Mahajan >defends it on grounds that it won't disturb Air India operations and that >similar measures will be adopted for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage! > >Sanjib Baruah > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Chan Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Sanjib Baruah" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Rajib Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Cc: <[email protected]> >Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 11:53 AM >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail > > >> Very informative piece. >> >> >> What I am curious about is the origin of the HAj subsidy . What were the >> reasons for adopting it at the birth of the country? Was it one of a >series >> of concession to the Muslims based on religious considerations because >they >> wanted a separate country of their own for reasons of not getting a fair >> shake from the Hindu majority ? In other words was it a grant, so to say, >> of a non-secular nature, for a presumably secular India not to lose many >> more Muslims to Pakistan which could have meant losing additional >territory >> as well? >> >> >> Without a doubt religious subsidies to a particular group is not >compatible >> with its secular imaginations. But can we really look at it with >integrity, >> if we choose to avoid looking at the reasons for which the whole thing was >> adopted to begin with? That brings us to the second part of the equation: >> Have the conditions for which it was adopted changed substantially today- >> namely a widespread anti-Muslim bias in the country? I would be the first >> to acknowledge that Haj subisidy, or religion based marriage laws and >> similar other institutions incompatible with a nation's secular >> imaginations are poor ways to deal with the issues--even wrong! But given >> the conditions of the time when these were adopted, what could have been >> some better ways? >> >> >> Amartya Sen discussed these issues, very believably, in an adress that >> Nalinaksha once forwarded to the net. But I don't think even he had a >> ready-made, immediately applicable solution. >> >> >> Unfortunately appropriate solutions to such inappropriate methods for >> building the secular character of a nation is extremely unlikely to be >> found in an environment where the MUslim minority is singled out by the >> Hindu majority for persecutuion, harassment and demonization thru a myriad > > of ways, as we have witnessed in recent years. What is truly disingenuous >> is the approach of the secularism baiting Hindu chauvinists, who attempt >to >> have it BOTH WAYS: Those who " xaap hoi khwte aru bez hoiw jaare" :-). > > >> cm >> >> >> At 5:45 AM -0400 8/25/01, Sanjib Baruah wrote: >> >Thought this would be of interest to the discussion. The question of Haj >> >subsidy is intensely debated among Muslims in India. >> >Apart from the issue of subsidy itself, as it happens with public funds >in >> >India so often, the question of corruption is also part of the debate. >The >> >following editorial is from a publication called Islamic Voice. >> > >> >http://www.islamicvoice.com/august.98/editorial.htm >> > >> >Scrap Haj Subsidy >> > >> > >> >There seems to be something murky about the question of subsidy being >> >offered by the Government of India towards the air-fare for the Haj >> >pilgrims. In his public announcements, Haj Committee Chairman Mr. >> >Salamatullah claims the subsidy amounts to Rs. 5,000 for each pilgrim. >But >> >going by the figures for the total subsidy claimed by the Haj Committee >from >> >the Government of India for the Haj 1998 i.e., Rs. 123 crore, it is clear >> >that the amount is somewhere around Rs. 18,777 for each pilgrim. It may >be >> >recalled that nearly 66,000 pilgrims performed Haj this year under the >> >auspices of the Central Haj Committee. The gap between the announcement >and >> >the demand of subsidy is too yawning to be ignored. Obviously, everything >is >> >not hunky-dory in the Committee. The Haj Committee cannot continue its >game >> >of fooling the Muslims and the Government for long. It is time it >explained >> >its act. There is all the scope to probe if somebody, somewhere is >keeping >> >someone in the dark, if not exactly making a cut. There are two aspects >to >> >the question. First is the legitimacy of the subsidy demanded as a right >by >> >the Committee and the second is the issue of making the Haj less >expensive. >> >The two issues should not be confused with each other and need to be >dealt >> >separately by the Muslims. Haj subsidy is violative of the spirit of Haj >and >> >is expected to come under public scrutiny, for no secular dispensation >could >> >continue with such a blatantly partisan largesse for the rich section of >> >Muslims. As for the former, let it be recognised that Haj is an Islamic >> >obligation for those who can afford the costs involved in its >performance. >> >That today's governments undertake to organise the pilgrimage should be >no >> >excuse to demand the subsidy. There can be no justification for this kind >of >> >largesses. It will be morally inaccurate for Muslims to even demand >> >subsidies for Haj even under an Islamic governance. >> > >> >But as the facilitator for all such affairs, it will be quite legitimate >to >> >explore all avenues for making the travel cheaper and journey >comfortable. >> >But the current ongoings within the Haj Committee point to something that >> >fits into no category of rules. The Committee owes an answer to the >Muslims >> >and the Government alike as to where the huge amount of money is going. >It >> >does not behove an organisation like Haj Committee to maintain so vast a >> >disparity in its professions and practice. The Haj Committee is >> >illegitimately bleeding the Government to subsidise air travel for Muslim >> >Hajis in a country where the subsidies for even rationed food from the >> >Public Distribution System are being withdrawn in a phased manner under >the >> >Structural Adjustment Programme. Not alone this. Taking advantage of >these >> >sops, rich Muslims are becoming habituated to repeat pilgrimages year >after >> >year, something undesirable in Islam itself. >> > >> >Besides the need to come clean on the large amount of subsidy (Rs. 18,000 >> >against the declared sum of Rs. 5,000), the Haj Committee also needs to >> >explain as to why and how the airfare between Jeddah and various >> >destinations within India is pegged at Rs. 30,000 (only Rs. 12,000 being >> >recovered from the pilgrims.) This is a grossly inflated amount, given >the >> >fact that different airlines and tour operators provide the air travel on > > >the route for Rs. 22,000. Understandably, the Committee would explain >away >> >the reason that the Haj travel by chartered flights involves two empty >> >flights by the chartered aircraft, first after unloading the passengers >at >> >Jeddah and later while flying to Jeddah to collect back the Hajis. But >then >> >chartering aircraft itself should have meant substantial decrease in >> >expenses. No air operations are as huge as Haj in India. There is need to >> >look into the chartering arrangements by an independent committee >comprising >> >aviation experts. Role of the chartering committee and Air India should >be >> >probed in this context. Perhaps, provision could be made to use the empty >> >flights to bring Gulf Indians to the country provided the Saudi >authorities >> >permit such passenger operations. Such an arrangement would greatly bring >> >down the cost of chartered operations. >> > >> >In this connection, the suggestion to constitute a Haj Air Corporation by >> >Mr. Rahman Khan, member of Parliament, is worth considering. Mr. Khan has >> >called for setting up this Corporation with a capital of Rs. 500 crore on >> >the lines of arrangements in Malaysia. Each half of the capital could be >> >raised through shares from Muslims of India and the Government. According >to >> >proposals, the capital could be invested in buying aircraft which besides >> >carrying pilgrims during the Haj season, would be leased out for >commercial >> >operations during non-Haj season. >> > >> >But the point at issue currently is to probe the subsidy question which >> >unless tackled immediately, would, in all likelihood, provide a handle to >> >the fascist organisations to extract political mileage. >> > >> > >> > >> >----- Original Message ----- >> >From: "Rajib Das" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >Cc: <[email protected]> >> >Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2001 7:44 AM >> >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail >> > >> > >> >> >> >> Isn't subsidizing the cost of Haj pilgrimage anti-Islamic? And isn't >that >> >> why no other country in the world provides subsidy.... >> >> >> >> >> >> >From: Santanu Roy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >CC: [email protected] >> >> >Subject: Re: Zaziya and Kaphirs - defined in detail >> >> >Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 22:57:48 -0400 >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> _________________________________________________________________ >> >> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at >http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp >> >> >> >> >>
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