Seeking enhancement of Tamil Nadu’s quota of seats for Haj pilgrims, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter and to have the External Affairs Ministry advised to release an additional quota for the State.
In her letter sent to Mr. Modi, the Chief Minister referred to receipt of 13,159 applications by the Tamil Nadu State Haj Committee for Haj 2014. Based on the Muslim population, the Haj Committee of India in Mumbai allotted a quota of 2,672 seats to the State. As per the guidelines for the current year, out of the quota of 2,672 seats, one thousand one hundred and eighty seats had been utilised for reserved category pilgrims and 1,492 pilgrims had been selected under the general category. “Subsequently, only 100 more seats have been allotted by the Haj Committee of India, leaving a large number of disappointed applicants,” she said.
She recalled that in the past, the Union government had released additional seats over and above the quota which enabled more number of pilgrims from Tamil Nadu to perform Haj. “Last year, 3,696 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu performed Haj. There is a great expectation among the pilgrims who have applied for Haj 2014 and are anxiously awaiting confirmation of their pilgrimage.” Ms. Jayalalithaa added.
