NEW DELHI, 7 January 2005 — Senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has alleged that the federal government has denied him permission to go to Saudi Arabia to oversee the arrangements for Haj pilgrims and meet Saudi Arabia’s Haj minister.
However, the state Congress says Azam is not worried about the welfare of the pilgrims but is more interested in playing politics.
With the state accounting for the maximum number of pilgrims in the country, politics on the issue is bound to take place. And Azam Khan, a minister in the Mulayam Singh Cabinet, always has his eye on the Muslim voters in the state.
“I want to know what they mean when they say permission is being denied for political reasons. Do they think I am an agent who will go there to spy?” asked Azam Khan.
Earlier, Azam Khan had accused the federal government of sending pilgrims on old Air-India aircraft with overage pilots. However, Junior Home Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal immediately responded by parading the pilots and showing aircraft to the media at the Lucknow airport.
For those making the Haj pilgrimage, it’s a sacred journey. However, in Uttar Pradesh, which has 17 percent Muslim voters that influence 70 seats in the state assembly, it’s just another opportunity for its leaders to play politics.
