The abolition of Haj subsidy by the Modi Government conforms to its principles of justice to all and appeasement of none. This is also in line with the Supreme Court’s judgement to do away with the subsidy. The Court had directed in 2012 to gradually reduce and abolish the Haj subsidy in 10 years .The court had cited the Quran to say that the Haj pilgrimage was mandatory only for those who could afford the expenses for travelling, food and accommodation. The original argument for the subsidy was that the Muslims, who constitute about 15 per cent of India’s population, and are among the poorest citizens, needed assistance because many could not afford the journey otherwise. But the subsidy has been given regardless of the economic standing of the pilgrims. In keeping with the apex court’s direction that the money saved by phasing out the subsidy should be used for the upliftment of the minority community it is good that the BJP Government has decided to spend the money valued at around Rs 650 crore per year, on the education of Muslim girls.
M C SHARMA, Panki, Kanpur
Encouraging Women
It was pleasant to learn that Indu Malhotra, who was the only second woman lawyer to be designated as a senior advocate by the Supreme Court in 2007, is set to make history as the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a judge of the top court, instead of being elevated from a High Court. At a time when everyone is chanting the slogan of ‘Women Empowerment’, it is a welcome move. It will encourage other women to go ahead in the legal as well as other fields. But since Independence till now, only six women have made it to the apex court as judges. More needs to be done.
ASIF IQBAL QASMI, Hyderabad
Visit would strengthen bond
Israeli Prime Minister Shri Benjamin Netanyahu’s four-day visit to India is historic and has the potential to take India-Israel bilateral ties to a different zone all together. Israel’s capabilities in the area of defence, research and development, trade and agriculture are well known. Moreover the country supported India in the 1962 China War and the Kargil War and has also pioneered sea water purification technology through Gal-Mobile, an integrated water purification vehicle. The high profile delegation of 130 businessmen along with Shri Netanyahu is further a testimony to the fact that Israel is keen in investing in our country. It may just be a coincidence that Shri Netanyahu’s visit is happening just after India announced Foreign Direct Investment in aviation, single brand retail and construction. BAL GOVIND, Noida
Contentious Verdict
By making it mandatory to play the National Anthem in the cinema halls before the screening of the films, the Supreme Court had stirred a hornet’s nest, with some people favouring the ruling and some people opposing it. People who were opposed to the playing of National Anthem made an issue out of non-issue. They fought tooth and nail to rescind the decision of the apex court. Lack of
consensus among the people even in the matter of National Anthem is rather intriguing. Finally the top court also toed the line of the people opposed to playing of National Anthem in the cinema halls. This is nothing but a triumph
of anti-nationals over nationals.
K V SEETHARAMAIAH, Hassan
Make Bharat a Hindu state
This refers to the article ‘Hindu Rights Go For A Toss’ by SN Aiyer and ‘Hindus Living in the Edge’ by Prof K Manivakasan in Organiser dated Dec 10, 2017 mentioning miserable condition of the Hindus in South-East Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philipines etc. As rightly mentioned, one of the main reason for this is, the policy of neglect by Government of India. The fact is, that Hindus in their own homeland have been victim of neglect, rather have been facing excesses by the Muslims with the help of anti-Hindu seculars, ruling our country all these years. Now, after seven decades of anti-Hindu rule, we have been able to establish the BJP Government. The only way to enhance the status of the Hindus in South-East Asian countries, as well as in our own homeland, would be to make truncated India, constitutionally a homeland for the Hindus and the non-Muslims. First step towards this must be de-franchising of Muslims, who are in fact all Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. They all had voted for the creation of Pakistan as their exclusive homeland in the elections held in 1945-46. De-franchising of Muslims can be done in a matter of a few days by skillfully using constitutionalpowers, and must be done to save our country.
ANAND PRAKASH, Panchkula, Haryana
When will Rahul grow up?
Sadly the Congress, which ruled India for over 50 years, went into decline in subsequent decades under the regime of Rahul’s grand mother, father and mother. The recent rise of Rahul Gandhi as the Congress chief, given his known immaturity and lack of dignity, is hardly reassuring. Hence, one is not surprised that in his first foreign tour as the president of the Congress Party Rahul Gandhi chose “to wash the dirty linen in public”, accusing the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the BJP of “dividing the country on the bases of caste and religion” and “promoting hatred among communities”. How can we forget Rahul Gandhi’s own leading role in fuelling caste and communal bitterness during the recent Gujarat elections. M RATAN, By Email
Congress Exposed
This is with reference to the Editorial of Organiser titled ‘Executing the Pakistani Plot?’ dated Jan 14. The Congress and its allies have realised that Muslim vote bank is no longer a guaranteed factor. So they have started dividing the Hindus by using people supporting the ideology of Naxalities to incite hatred and promote caste war. These people are getting exposed, thanks to their own statements and videos. Now the Congress has suddenly started telling the nation that they are proud of their Hindu heritage and culture. In Sourashtra, more than hundred temple priests have been given money to do bhajans every day with Congress supporters. Congress spokes persons have started giving their views on where Sri Ram Temple should be built in Ayodhya. Mamata Banerjee who asked Hindus to postpone Durga Visarjan is taking round of temples and telling the people that Bengal is the land of Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekanand. Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka who have transferred money from temples to pay for pensions to moulvis and mullahs says he is proud to be a Hindu but never says anything to people who are slaughtering cows and promoting beef eating. We need to expose such people and remind the nation what these people did to us during the past sixty years. BJP’s stance on triple talaq has totally exposed the Congress and mullahs.
RANGAESH GADASALLI,Via email
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