Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>Arrangements were quite good and better than ever. Haj Committee this year handled about 117,000 pilgrims. Facilities were excellent. One complaint was received from a group about the facilities. I visited the place with the ministry officials and quickly fixed the problem. Pilgrims themselves would attest the arrangements were excellent.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>People from about 186 countries travel on Haj every year. Except for Turkey, the Saudi Government has fixed a quota for every other country. It is on the basis of 1 pilgrim per 10,000 muslims. This has given a quota of 157,000 pilgrims for India. Saudi government has also directed giving 1/3 of this quota to Private Haj Tour Operators, so the government handles about 117,000 pilgrims. Of this, 10,000 pilgrims are chosen at the discretion of government and the rest through open draw of lots.

So the quota Tamil Nadu gets is based on number of Muslims living here. I think this distribution is based on 1971 census. Perhaps if they take the 2001 census, we may get more seats! We can see Saudis spending a lot on infrastructure - to handle more pilgrims. May be the Saudis should fix the quota based on 1 pilgrim per 7,500 muslims in a country.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>No other country except India gives subsidy. During my recent Haj trip, I told this to a surprised Pakistani! This started during the regime of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Muslims used to travel on Haj by Ship. Suddenly Saudi Government decided to stop transport through Ship and asked the pilgrims to arrive in aircrafts instead. This suddenly increased the cost of pilgrimage. It was for this purpose that the government started giving subsidies. It was a temporary solution.

But you know - in India - once a concession is given, it is difficult to take it back. Reservations for SCs and STs was originally for 10 years. Even after 60 years, it is continuing!

Government gives subsidies to Hindus (to travel to Mansarover) and to Sikhs (to travel to Lahore). There is no partiality towards muslims alone, hence I don't see anything wrong with this. There was a stay against subsidy in Allahabad High Court, but the Supreme Court has relaxed that. In the final judgment too, we are confident the Court would rule it as legal.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>I cannot give advise to other parties and organisations. IUML has always believed in Masjid-centred Mohalla social activities. Those mohallas must start addressing social issues.

Way back in 1988, at our meeting in Madurai, we put forward a few plans - which are still valid today. They are - to bring unity within the mohallas, make people connect with the mosque in the neighbourhood, help in education through Baithulmaals, settle disputes within the mohalla through Shariat Courts (even a Judge of the High Court recently suggested that local settlement of disputes would lessen the burden on courts) and the participation of expatriates in the local works. We want those mohallas to function like a panchayat.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>Government has done the best it could. It is based on our population. Besides, the Supreme Court has limited reservation to 50%, so this is fair. When the population goes up in future, we can demand more reservation later. In Kerala, we have had 12% reservation for long. Since the population has gone up, currently we are demanding 15% reservation.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>I find this claim strange. It is like a child - after growing up - claiming to have born without the help of a father and mother! Reservation is a long time demand of Muslim League. In fact, we strived in the early years to include Muslims in the backward classes list. Without that, today reservations for muslims would have been difficult.

Like other parties, we didn't organise any road agitation or Jail filling programmes, but we always put across the government our demand. Think about the Christians who also got 3.5% reservations. Did they organise any road agitation?

If the CM thought it was only road agitations of some that made him to give reservations, he would have said that. When I met the CM, he told me that when he (CM) ordered reservations, he remembered the tears of Siraj-e-milleth.

Also we do not see reservations as a big deal. It is just one of the routine things.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>There is only one Muslim League, others misuse the name.

I once attended a meeting. The subject of that meeting was to unite all muslim organisations. About 59 organisations had come. I told the gathering there to consider this: Of the 59 organisations, except for Muslim League, all others were founded recently and the founders themselves were leaders. Not the case with Muslim League. Muslim League was there before me and it will be there after me. I asked them to think about this. I also asked them whether they have any ideas and plans for the society different from that of Muslim League. If yes, I wished them to continue in their own way. Otherwise, asked them to join us in our way.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>For some reasons, I do not go to Wakf Board, but I am a member of Central Wakf Committee. Wakf Board is doing good work. I have toured many Wakfs. Encroachment is a problem in Tamil Nadu. There is the encroachment by Central and State governments of Wakf properties. We are looking for a permanent solution to this. Then there is the encroachment by private parties. Wakf Board can complain to the Collector/SP to take action. Sometimes even with a court order, evicting the encroachers can become an issue. People gather in large numbers to block eviction. Authorities fear law and order problem and hence go slow on this.

There are many muthavallis who commit lot of mistakes. They do not think about the long-term welfare of the Wakf. In fact, there are properties valued at about Rs.12,000 Crores lying idle and are of no use to the society.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>Absolutely, it is functioning fairly and successfuly.

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>Muslim League is a historical party. It has crossed several huge obstacles since its inception and saved the name of Muslim League. We have been a ruling and opposition party in Kerala. We have an MP and 2 MLAs in Tamil Nadu. In many states, we have members in Municipality and Panchayats. With these achievements alone, we have managed to have a minister in the Central government! People must understand - what we are capable of - when we grow even bigger!

Mr.K.M. Kader Mohideen M.P.>Politically, we would like to strengthen our party all over India. We would again like to emerge as the ruling party in Kerala. We want to increase our strength of MLAs to 12 and the MPs to 2 in Tamil Nadu. We also want to increase the number of Muslim League councillors from the current 132.

On the religious side, we want to take advise and follow the fatwas of the religious leaders.

We want to strenghten the 11,000-odd Masjid Mohallas in Tamil Nadu. Even though Tamil Nadu is a Hindu-majority state, it has always been communally peaceful. People interact with each other as brothers and sisters. We want this peace to spread to other states. Muslim League would strive for this.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was founded on March 10, 1948 at Rajaji Hall. We would be celebrating our 60th Anniversary in Vellore in March. Since our foundation, we have stressed on three principles: National unity, Communal amity and the protection of our distinct Cultural identity. We invite those who believe in these principles to join us.