CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release a larger quota for Haj pilgrims from Tamil Nadu this year.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, she said the Tamil Nadu State Haj Committee had received 15,032 applications for Haj 2015. The Haj Committee of India, Mumbai, had allowed a quota of 2,585 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu this year, she said. “As per the guidelines for Hajj 2015, out of the quota, 1,699 pilgrims have been selected under the reserved category, while 886 are from the general category. This leaves 12,000 disappointed applicants,” the Chief Minister said.
Earlier the Union government allowed additional numbers above the stated quota which enabled more pilgrims from Tamil Nadu to go on Haj. A total of 3,696 and 2,858 pilgrims had gone on Haj in 2013 and 2014, Jayalalithaa said.
The Ministry of External Affairs could be requested to release a higher quota for Tamil Nadu this year, the Chief Minister added.