By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP president Pon Radhakrishnan, a former minister of state for youth affairs in the third Vajpayee government, has sought subsidy for Hindu pilgrims, citing the case of Muslims and Christians. He put the demand when the ruling DMK assured Christians of subsidy on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Radhakrishnan questioned why such concession be denied to Hindus. Citing the subsidy to Muslims for Haj pilgrimage, he accused the Congress-led UPA government at the centre and the state DMK government of not treating religious communities evenly.
Pon Radhakrishnan is taking out a “Thamarai Yatra” (Lotus Yatra) in the state. The yatra is aimed at pressing the Government to provide educational assistance to the students of majority community on par with the assistance given to the students belonging to minority community.
A similar issue was raised in the year 2008 by advocate Ashok Pandey of New Delhi by moving the Supreme Court seeking its direction to the government to grant monetary aid, matching the Haj subsidy, to non-Muslim pilgrims.
The petition sought the government aid for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists undertaking pilgrims within and outside the country.
The petition said that like Haj pilgrims, people from other religions undertaking their pilgrimages to countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China too should be given monetary aid by the government.
The erstwhile petitioner also prayed the court direction to the government to undertake diplomatic negotiations with Sri Lanka for an entry into the country sans passport and valid visa to benefit an unhindered access of Hindu pilgrims to Ashok Vatika in that country,
where according to Ramayana Lord Rama’s wife Sita was kept hostage.