A south Indian state will subsidise pilgrimage trips for
Christians who want to travel to Israel, officials said.
There are about 1.2 million Christians in Andhra Pradesh,
representing nearly two percent of the state's population.
Among them is Y S Rajsekhara Reddy, the state's chief
minister.
The subsidy is being modelled on that already offered by the
central government to Muslims wanting to join the annual haj
pilgrimage to Mecca, according to N D Tiwari, the state governor,
in announcing the subsidy.
New Delhi even has a special haj air terminal for Muslims, who
account for about 13% of India's 1.1 billion population.
Political opponents, including the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya
Janata Party, say Reddy's government is pandering to minority
communities ahead of state elections next year.
Details of the subsidy are still to be decided, Mohammad Ali Shabbir, the minister for minorities welfare, said on Tuesday.
