Hyderabad, October 04: It was a battle for chairs at the Haj House on Monday. Although the occasion was purely religious, both the politicians and officials used the occasion to display their supremacy and egos.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy was scheduled to flag off the sixth batch of Haj pilgrims from the State at the Haj Camp at Nampally. However, more than the Chief Minister, other participants tried very hard to register their presence in the event. Minorities Welfare Department Secretary Mohammad Ali Rafath tried to convey that he was big boss in the department. He wanted his seat to be next to the Chief Minister. However, following protocol his seat was allotted at one corner of dais.
Angry for not allotting him seat next to the Chief Minister, Mohammad Ali Rafath started shouting at the officials and disrupted a religious speech by Syed Qubool Pasha Shattari, president Majlis-e-Ulema-a-Deccan, on the important rituals of Haj. Irked by the disruptions, Qubool Pasha ended his speech in the middle and shouted at the officials saying that they would insult the guests, especially when they are speaking about religion.
Kiran Kumar Reddy, as usual, came very late for the event. He kept the Haj pilgrims waiting for almost an hour. After making a customary speech of just 90 seconds, he left the venue within 20 minutes. More than the Chief Minister’s presence, the Haj pilgrims and other participants noticed the absence of all three city ministers – Danam Nagender, M Mukesh Goud and Dr P Shankar Rao. The top brass of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen too gave a miss to the event. Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi did not attend the event. However, the party was represnted by their MLAs – Virasat Rasool Khan and Ahmed Balala.
Although Secunderabad MP Anjam Kumar Yadav tried to fill the gap, but considered to be the Muslim face of State Congress and former minsiter Mohammad Ali Shabbir abstained from the meeting. However, MLCs Mohd Jani and Farooq Hussain and PCC General Secretary Abid Rasool Khan with their silent presence tried to convey the message of change in the Congress party.
Minutes before the Chief Minister’s arrival Wakf Board Chairman Syed Shah Afzal Biyabani shocked the pilgrims with a political message. Praising the on-going agitation seeking seperate Telagnana, he requested the Haj pilgrims to pray for its formation during their stay in the holy cities of Mecca and Madina. The State Haj Committee chairman Syed Khaleeluddin Ahmed looked confued at all these developments and apparently he would have regretted inviting the Chief Minister to flag off the pilgrims batch.
Minorities Welfare Minister Syed Mohammad Ahmadullah, however, tried to handle the situation. In his brief speech, he praised the State Government for its pro-minorities policies and hoped that the present Chief Minister would continue to work for the welfare of Muslims in the State.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the State Government was providing all possible assistance to the Hajis. He said that several measures are being implemented for the welfare of the Minorities. These include allocation of 10 acres land for a permanent Haj House building near Shamshabad Airport at a cost of Rs.12.5 Crore for construction of which Rs 3 Crore already released. It will also have Study Centre for minority students for competitive examinations. He hoped that the pilgrims could use the new Haj House at Shamshabad from next year.
This batch comprised of 199 Haj pilgrims who directly went to Jeddah by wearing ‘ahram’. This was the second additional flight by the Saudi Airlines which took the pilgrims to Jeddah. The remaining pilgrims were first taken to the holy city of Madina-Al-Munawwara.
——–Agencies