File image of AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi. (PTI)

Hyderabad: Soon after the Centre announced that it would end Haj subsidy from this year as part of its agenda to empower minorities without appeasement, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi attacked the Narendra Modi government and asked it to end the “Hindu appeasement politics” too.

Owaisi said the government should walk the talk and allocate Rs 20,000 crore for scholarships for Muslim girls in the upcoming budget session. He also challenged the government to withdraw all subsidy given to Hindu pilgrims as well.


He said he was not against the decision, and in fact welcomed it, but there should be no double standards. Owaisi has been demanding that Haj subsidy be removed and used for Muslim girls’ education since 2006.

“Haj subsidy is merely Rs 200 crore. BJP called it appeasement. I ask BJP, the PM and RSS that if Muslim Haj subsidy is appeasement, what about Kumbh Mela? The government had allocated Rs 1,150 crore when Kumbh Mela was held in 2014,” he said.


“Will BJP tell the Yogi government, which is painting everything saffron, including Haj House, to stop Rs 800 crore for pilgrimage to Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura, and Rs 1.5 lakh to each Manasarovar yatri?” Owaisi asked.

He also pointed out that the Haryana government had given Rs 1 crore to disgraced godman Ram Rahim Singh’s Dera Sacha Sauda.


“Was it for electoral appeasement?,” he asked, adding that Modi government had also given a grant of Rs 100 crore to Madhya Pradesh government for Simhastha Maha Kumbh. “Was this not appeasement?” he asked.

“Rajasthan government allocated Rs 38.91 crores in 2017-18 for Devasthan department. The previous government had allocated Rs 26 crore for temple renovation and training of Hindu priests. Is this not appeasement and vote bank politics?”

Owaisi also did not spare the Congress. “Congress is in power in Karnataka. In 2015, the government there said it would give Rs 20,000 to anyone who goes on char dham yatra. They are doing ‘Janeyudhari’ politics. Will they end?” he asked.