Hyderabad: Mantri, netas and babus keep off Hajis’ send-off event

Hyderabad: The Haj camp for the Haj-2023 comes to an end on Thursday, though it was one of the longest camps for over 15 days, none of the State Ministers, public representatives, other party leaders and bureaucrats visited the Haj Camp in Haj House Nampally for the ceremonial send-off of Haj pilgrims on their holy journey.

Each year, it has always been customary practice for ministers, public representatives, political leaders and bureaucrats to give a customary send-off to Haj pilgrims irrespective of caste, community and political party, but this tradition culture is breaking each passing year. This year, in the Haj camp, only the Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali gave a ceremonial send off to pilgrims, and no other ministers including the Minorities affairs Minister Koppula Eshwar visited the haj camp and bid send-off to the pilgrims. Also, no other political party leaders and bureaucrats including city police chief flagged off the State haj pilgrims this year.

Asif Hussain Sohail, a political activist said that though the government provided best arrangements in the camp, but the decades-old tradition was disrupted, as no minister visited the haj camp and send-off the pilgrims on their holy journey. “With each passing year, the minorities are being sidelined by the ruling party and are not able to pay attention on Muslims even for their holy journey and other minorities,” he added.

Asif said, “Though the CM is concerned for minorities, other representatives of the party are ignoring and not paying attention, and this can damage the party.”

In spite of all this, the ruling party is trying to save its existence among the Muslims. The Muslim leaders of the party are singing odes of the chief minister terming him to be the number one secular chief minister in the country. There is a popular perception gaining ground among the Muslims that if BRS can ignore the Muslims they too can ignore BRS in the next election.

On the last day of the camp, senior Congress leader and former minister in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Mohammed Shabbir Ali was visiting the camp for the ceremonial send off, however, he was placed under house arrest.

He said “Today, the Haj Committee invited Congress leaders to join the ceremonial send-off of Haj pilgrims at Haj House. Shockingly, the police placed me under house arrest to stop me from visiting the Haj House. The lack of coordination within government departments is concerning. The Chief Minister is trying to politicise the Haj camp.

It has always been customary practice for leaders from all political parties to give a customary send-off to Haj pilgrims. Since CM KCR has not visited the Haj House since 2017, he is now forbidding all others from meeting the pilgrims to give a ceremonial send-off on their holy journey,” he tweeted.