Bengaluru, June 21: The first flight of the Hajj pilgrims leaving from the state in 2018 would leave for Madina from Mangaluru airport on July 21, said Minority Development, Hajj and Wakf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan.
After holding a meeting with the officials at the State Hajj Committee office here on Thursday, the Minister said that total three flights would fly to Madina from Mangaluru airport. Apart from Mangaluru, the pilgrims would also fly from Bengaluru airport in 15 flights from August 1 to 15. The journey would be officially inaugurated at Hajj Bhavan in Tirumenahalli in the city on July 31. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy would inaugurate the flight journey, while Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Opposition Leader in the Rajya Sabha Gulam Nabi Azad and other national leaders would be presented, he said.
Total 540 pilgrims of Gulbarga region would leave for Madina through Hyderabad airport from August 1 and pilgrims from Belagavi region would leave from Goa airport from July 26 to 28, he said.
This time, total 18,000 persons applied for Hajj pilgrimage from the state. But total 6624 persons allotted from the state by the central government were selected through lottery and reservation, he said.
Food Ministers meeting
The Central government has convened a meeting of the Food Ministers of all states in New Delhi on July 29 and 30. He would also participate in the meeting. At this time, he would also discuss with Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on getting additional quota for Hajj pilgrims from the state, he said.
Additional fee is being collected from the Hajj pilgrims from the state and it might cause additional burden on them. He would discuss the issue with the Union Minister and Indian Hajj Committee, the Minister said.
As the State Haj Committee building is old one, the office would be shifted to the newly built Hajj Bhavan after the completion of the process of Hajj pilgrimage. After demolishing the old structure, he would discuss with the senior leaders of the community on constructing the new building, he said.
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Kedarnath: The Kedarnath assembly by-election in Uttarakhand has entered its final phase, but a controversy erupted last evening after liquor bottles were recovered from a car in the Chopta area of Tallanagpur. The car reportedly had a BJP Pradesh Working Committee sticker, raising questions about the state government and election integrity.
Congress candidate Manoj Rawat, along with his supporters, intercepted the car on Sunday evening and claimed it belonged to a BJP worker. They alleged that the BJP was distributing liquor to influence voters and misusing government machinery for electoral gains. Following the incident, Rawat and his supporters staged a protest at the spot, raising slogans against the ruling party.
Rawat accused the BJP of engaging in unethical practices, calling it a blatant attempt to sway voters. "The BJP is misusing its power and distributing liquor to manipulate the election process. This is a direct attack on democracy," he said.
In response, the BJP dismissed the allegations as baseless propaganda by Congress, aimed at tarnishing the ruling party's image out of fear of losing the election. A BJP spokesperson stated, "Congress is trying to mislead the public by fabricating such accusations. The people of Kedarnath are well aware of our development work and know whom to trust."
The BJP further alleged that Congress was attempting to influence the election by creating unnecessary controversy and added that such claims would not impact the BJP's chances in the by-poll.
Breaking
— Anshuman Sail Nehru (@AnshumanSail) November 17, 2024
BJP is completely polluting Devbhoomi Uttarakhand with dirty politics of money and liquor
In Kedarnath Byelection, Liquor has been seized from BJP office bearers car. This is shameless beyond point. Stop hurting Hindu sentiments, BJP. pic.twitter.com/DYiECfJs8s