'Utter Injustice': Outrage as Modi Govt Hikes Hajj 2026 Airfare
The Narendra Modi government is facing outrage after the Ministry hiked airfare of the pilgrims going to Makkah for Hajj 2026 by 10,000 rupees.
Hajj 2026: The Narendra Modi government is facing outrage after the Ministry hiked airfare of the pilgrims going to Makkah for Hajj 2026 by 10,000 rupees.
Lambasting the Modi government over its decision to hike Hajj airfare in the last minute, the Congress party called it “utter injustice”.
“Forcing an additional Rs 10,000 collection from the Haj pilgrims right before their journey is utter injustice”, Congress MP and Chairman of Congress Minority Department, Imran Pratapgarhi, said.
“When the full fare was already fixed in advance, why was this increase imposed at the very last moment?” he asked.
The angry reaction from the Congress came after the Haj Committee of India citing the Ministry of Minority Affairs, which also looks after the affairs of the Hajj pilgrims in India, hiked the airfare by USD100 or 10,000 Indian Rupees.
“… in view of the extraordinary circumstances arising out of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, a one-time revision in airfare for Haj 2026 Air Charter Operations has been approved by the Ministry of Minority Affairs”, the HCoI circular dated April 28, 2026 said.
“The revised airfare entails an additional amount of USD100 per pilgrim, irrespective of embarkation point, to be borne by the pilgrims”, the circular said, asking the pilgrims to pay INR 10,000 by May 15, 2026.
“Exploitation, Punishing”
Criticizing the government’s decision to hike the Hajj airfare, AIMIM Chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi called it “punishing” and “exploitation”.
“The Haj Committee is demanding an additional ₹10,000 from Haj pilgrims as “differential airfare.” This is despite collecting ₹90,844 per pilgrim a couple of months ago departing from Mumbai Embarkation Point. This is almost DOUBLE the prevalent rates for individual travelers”, Owaisi said.
“Are pilgrims being punished for going through the Haj Committee? This is just exploitation and nothing else”, he said.
Owaisi also asked the government to withdraw its decision.
“Most pilgrims are not wealthy, they save money for years to be able to go to Haj. This is not a luxury for them. The circular must be withdrawn immediately, and the pilgrims must be refunded the money taken from them”, he said.
Govt defends its decision
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju defended the government’s decision to hike the Hajj airfare.
"For countless families, Haj is a once-in-a-lifetime dream nurtured over years. I deeply respect that sentiment (but) amid a sharp global rise in ATF prices, driven by ongoing geopolitical tensions, airlines sought a steep hike of $300–$400 per pilgrim. We also can't blame airlines for the rise in ATF prices."
"Through negotiations, we ensured the increase was restricted to just $100… saving each pilgrim a significant amount," he wrote on a social media platform X.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Haj pilgrims from India and other countries have already reached the Two Holy Cities, with the first batch of pilgrims reaching Saudi Arabia on April 19, 2026.
Haj performed annually is one of the five pillars of Islam. The likely date of Hajj 2026 is May 24 to 29, 2026. The final date of Haj 2026 (1447), however, will be confirmed after Dhul Hijjah 1447 AH moon sighting.
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