Haj House turns advertising zone for politicos

Hyderabad: The Haj House in the last few days is unrecognizable, thanks to the number of flexies that adorn every inch of the wall. Political leaders of all parties have gone on a high-pitched battle so to say in vying for space. Leaders have used the stage for the departure of the Haj pilgrims to prove a point and to please their political bosses put up flexies at every point.

Ali, a visitor to the Haj House was surprised to see so many flexis. He said, “I come to the Haj House regularly but never have I witnessed such sycophancy. Right from the entrance there are posters.” Even the bus stop at Nampally which is usually given to commercial advertisements now sports pictures of political leaders. The authorities of Haj Committee are also inviting the theologians and religious leaders to address the pilgrims, but it has become as a custom.

At the time of flagging of the pilgrims, the political workers were seen scuffling each other to fit in the frames of cameras. This tussle reduced only when photographers shut down their cameras. A passerby remarked, “It resembled the election of an agricultural marketing committee meeting and not a send off of pilgrims.”

It is noticed that the political workers come here in the so called service of pilgrims when their political party rules the State and they decamp from the Haj House when their party loses the elections. Recently, a political leader apologised for his speech as one of the Haj pilgrim stopped him as his speech took on a political turn. In the meanwhile, there is a silent group of youth, which serves the pilgrims kept to themselves and did not hanker after publicity.

BY Md Minhajuddin Khan