SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: About 500 people could perform Haj through seats allocated to President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Minority Affairs Minister and Haj Committee under VIP Haj quota, which now has been scrapped. In a significant move, the Central government on Wednesday abolished VIP quota for Haj pilgrims. The VIP pilgrims will now have to travel like ordinary devotees. Earlier, the VIP quota was allotted to Prime Minister, President, Vice President, Minority Ministers as well as Haj Committee of India but same has been cancelled now.
Terming the decision as historic, Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi said that it is a good and much needed step taken by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. While interacting with STATE TIMES correspondent, she said that Haj is a sacred pilgrimage and there is no way for VIP quota or any other VIP culture. She said that when it started in 2012, there were around 5,000 seats under the special quota. “I think it is very unfortunate as a Muslim we are trying to get VIP facilities for Haj, when millions of middle class Muslims are waiting for their turn in general quota. Moreover, these people can’t afford to perform Hajj through private tour operators,” she added. “Haj is considered to be an once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims who can physically and financially afford to do so. When a Muslim wishes to perform Haj which is obligatory on a person who can afford it, then why are we trying to get a VIP quota,” said Andrabi, adding that it is a welcome move and should have been taken much earlier. Meanwhile Union Minister Smriti Irani, while asserting that the step has been taken as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to end ‘VIP culture’, said that Prime Minister Modi had put forward his resolve to end VIP culture on the very first day of his term. Recently, the Government and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement for Haj 2023 in which over 1,75,000 Indian pilgrims would be allowed to perform the pilgrimage. This will be for the first time that close to two lakh pilgrims from India will perform the sacred journey.
So far, the highest quota for India was in 2019, when 1.4 lakh pilgrims performed the holy pilgrimage. However, owing to COVID-19 pandemic, Haj was cancelled in 2020 and in 2022, Saudi Arabia welcomed 79,237 pilgrims for Haj.
