Will BJP Appoint a Hindu as the Haj Minister in Uttar Pradesh?

Will BJP Appoint a Hindu as the Haj Minister in Uttar Pradesh?





Lucknow: When it forms the government in Uttar Pradesh after the landslide electoral win the Bharatiya Janata Party will be faced with a unique question at least on one front - who will be the minister in charge of Minority Welfare and Haj.

The department directly deals with around 20 percent population in a state which has the largest number of Muslims in the country. The party which talks about 'sabka saath sabka vikas' has not a single Muslim member in the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. In the just-concluded Assembly Elections in which the BJP bagged 324 seats along with allies, out of 403 seats, it had not given tickets to any Muslims.

Out of 24-odd Muslim MLAs who have won, 17 are from the Samajwadi party, five are from the BSP, and two from the Congress.

During the course of its electoral campaign, and subsequent to its landslide victory, the tone of the BJP leaders have been softer and more accomodative of the minorities. Leaders like union ministers Kalraj Mishra and Uma Bharti in their interviews to News18 earlier had emphasised the need for giving greater representation to Muslims. Kalraj even promised that "in the days to come, BJP will try and bring Muslims to Parliament and state assemblies through direct election."

So, how will the BJP deal with this situation? Will it search for a Muslim face within the party? Afterall, in the past there were leaders like Aizaz Rizvi and her daughter Seema Rizvi who were the party's voice in the upper house and a minority face in the state cabinet. Even at present, BJP has leaders like Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Najma Heptullah who remain a minority face, though symbolic. Naqvi presently heads the department of Minority welfare and before him it was Najma Heptullah who bore this responsibility.

BJP's state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak feels there is no reason to be concerned. "Why can't a person from a majority community head the department? After all a government is for all the people. It doesn't matter who heads a particular department, what's more crucial is how the department is handled," Pathak says.

Echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words at the post-poll celebratory meet in Delhi on Sunday, he says: "BJP government will work on Samta and Samanta, will work towards realising a vision for New India. The party is driven by the philosphy of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas."

But getting a non-Muslim to head the department of Minority Affairs and Haj is not as easy as the BJP leaders make it out to be. The minister of the department is also the head of the Haj committee. Will BJP dare keep a Hindu in that seat?

Prominent Islamic cleric and member of the All India Personal law board, Khalid Rashid Firangi Mehali, sounds concerned. He says,"The very spirit of Minority Welfare Department will be curtailed if a non-minority is appointed as head of the department. There are several issues which a person from the community can understand better."

Brijesh Shukla, a senior journalist and someone who had covered BJP for long‎, recalls that even the BJP government of Kalyan Singh which came to power through the mandir movement had Aizaz Rizvi as a Muslim face. Aizaz headed the department of Minority welfare. Later on his daughter Seema Rizvi remained BJP's minority face for long, serving subsequent BJP governments in the state.

"Earlier it was the era of Atal-ji. He always kept some options available. It was the reason why a section of Shia community in Lucknow remained warm towards the party. Today it's BJP of Amit Shah and Modi era, where such nitty grittys are probably ignored," Shukla says.



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My opinion :
If Azam Khan could be the head of Kumbh mela committee then why can't a Hindu head Haj committee?

 

much simpler approach. drop the word "haj" from that ministry. just name it minstry of minority affairs. Now whoever you appoint, is a minority. even a Brahmin is a minority, a woman is a minority, an educated politician is a minority.

 

That's interesting.

 

there s more to the story. during his stint, we had the Maha Kumbh Mela (one that occurs every 144 years) at which point Mr.Azam Khan was the in charge when there was a stampeded and many people died due to mismanagement. Mr.Khan offered his resignation on moral grounds but was rejected by the chief minister:
"Praising the minister for his sincere work, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, rejected Khan's resignation." how sweet and how convenient.

 

I , actually feel sorry for the Muslims of UP.Right from the Aligarh movement till date , all they've done is miscalculated .The genesis of the Pakistan movement can be traced to this lot.When it came to walking the talk, for every one out three who made the journey to Pakistan , two stayed put .All this after having voted for the ML in the 1946 provincial assembly , which was widely seen as a referendum for the creation of Pakistan .
In post independent India , they turned staunch congress supporters , a party whose overtures they spurned earlier & which , since independence didn't need their support.The muslims further gheottised , moving away from reality seeking solace amongst their own thus creating an endless cycle of false bravado mixed with victimhood whenever their bluff was called.

In between all this they alternated between the SP & Congresss or the BSP post 1992 . Their steady descent on all socio economic & education metrics continued .That they lacked a modern leadership or were incapable of giving rise to one besides emancipating themselves begs the question - what exactly do they see as their future in the Republic of India now , as their worst fears seems to have come true with a RSS / BJP government at the center & in the state .

This question is important as the Muslims never foresaw a right wing party at the helm of affairs on its own strength at the Centre & in the state , always believing that they could (&did) swing elections by voting strategically .

What the OP has posed is only one facet of their deep dilemma.

 

A hajj minister? this is new.. there is no hajj minister as this is not a ministry but a committee. and you don't need an elected mla to run a comettiee.

 

In my opinion it shouldn't be since KSA don't allow any non-Muslim in Makkah and Madina and a person who can't visit or see the facilities he arrange for Hajees couldn't be good choice for ministry of Haj.

 

First of all when we are discontinuing Haj subsidy ?

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/eliminate-haj-subsidy-in-10-years-court/article3396806.ece

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/phas...-supreme-court-tells-govt-10-big-facts-481470

BTW why there is a Haj minister in first place?

Is there any kind of minister which over looks char dham yatra for Hindu's ?

 

Not for Chaar sham but for other religious pilgrimages like Amrnath Yatra,Mansarovar Yatra, Ayappa season down south etc.

As far as I know according to a Supreme Court judgement Haj subsidy will be phased out by 2022(10years from the judgement in 2012). This was decided as such subsidies involve direct involvement of state funds and recourses and ergo contradicts Article 27.

 

there is no hajj minister.. don't fall for media BS.. it is hajj committee and like all committee this too had a chairman not a minister.

 

Waqf Board and Hajj committee chairman....... No minister.... You are right

 

Media sensitizing the issue. Nothing more.