NEW DELHI: Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday responded to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya 's charge that Waqf Board was encroaching thousands of acres of farmers' land in Karnataka with the support of the state government, accusing the Bengaluru south MP of playing politics over the matter and questioned what his BJP government had done during their stint in power in Karnataka.
"As usual BJP goes crying to their high command for everything. They either go to the Governor or the Prime Minister. I would like to ask the BJP MP, during the tenure, was the State Waqf Department locked? Were they doing anti-national activities that they are claiming to be now? Do they have any common sense, how the law works, how the procedure works?...These people are just out to play politics with it," Priyank Kharge, who is the son of congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, according to news agency ANI.
Earlier, as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee currently reviewing amendments to the Waqf Act, Tejasvi Surya said, "There have been multiple press conferences and videos in the public domain where the minister himself has admitted that these Waqf adalats are being conducted under the chief Minister's instructions."
Surya flagged that farmers from various districts have reported abrupt and unauthorized transfers of their land ownership to the Waqf Board. "Over the last few days, farmers from many districts across Karnataka have been raising alarms that, without any notice from revenue authorities or adherence to due legal processes, changes have been made to their land records, RTCs, mutation registers, and other documents. Ownership has, in many cases, been suddenly transferred to the Waqf, causing serious panic among thousands of farmers across the state."
However, this was not the first the BJP MP had raised this. On Wednesday, he wrote to Waqf Bill JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal, asking him to visit Vijayapura district where the Muslim body has claimed ownership of 1500 acres of farmers' lands. Surya said he met a delegation of farmers from the Vijayapura district, who have cultivated their lands for nearly a century and maintain records dating back to the 1920s and 1930s.
"In recent months, however, many of them have been served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property, without any accompanying evidence or explanation," he said in his letter.
The BJP MP said the scale of these claims is substantial, with nearly 1,500 acres being designated as Waqf property in their village alone. "The farmers claim that apart from being served notices, changes have been made in the RTC, pahani and mutation registers for some of the land parcels without following the due process of law."
"I, therefore, request that you invite the delegation of affected farmers to appear as witnesses before the Committee. Their testimony will provide valuable insights into the local implications of the proposed amendments and the pressing issues faced by the farming community in this regard," he said.
After the controversy over the notices erupted, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said none of the farmers will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.
Responding to a question that similar notices have been issued to farmers in Yadgir and Dharwad districts too, the CM said: "I will ask the Revenue Minister to look into it, nowhere farmers will be evicted." Seeking to clarify "confusion" over 1,200 acres in Honavada of Tikota taluk being marked as Waqf property, M B Patil (Industries and Vijayapura district in-charge Minister) had recently said it was due to an “error” in the gazette notification.
"As usual BJP goes crying to their high command for everything. They either go to the Governor or the Prime Minister. I would like to ask the BJP MP, during the tenure, was the State Waqf Department locked? Were they doing anti-national activities that they are claiming to be now? Do they have any common sense, how the law works, how the procedure works?...These people are just out to play politics with it," Priyank Kharge, who is the son of congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, according to news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Kalaburagi: On BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge says, "...As usual BJP goes crying to their high command for everything. They either go to the Governor or the Prime Minister. I would like to ask the BJP MP, during the tenure, was the State Waqf… pic.twitter.com/GXuzWXcDY6
— ANI (@ANI) October 31, 2024
Earlier, as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee currently reviewing amendments to the Waqf Act, Tejasvi Surya said, "There have been multiple press conferences and videos in the public domain where the minister himself has admitted that these Waqf adalats are being conducted under the chief Minister's instructions."
Surya flagged that farmers from various districts have reported abrupt and unauthorized transfers of their land ownership to the Waqf Board. "Over the last few days, farmers from many districts across Karnataka have been raising alarms that, without any notice from revenue authorities or adherence to due legal processes, changes have been made to their land records, RTCs, mutation registers, and other documents. Ownership has, in many cases, been suddenly transferred to the Waqf, causing serious panic among thousands of farmers across the state."
However, this was not the first the BJP MP had raised this. On Wednesday, he wrote to Waqf Bill JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal, asking him to visit Vijayapura district where the Muslim body has claimed ownership of 1500 acres of farmers' lands. Surya said he met a delegation of farmers from the Vijayapura district, who have cultivated their lands for nearly a century and maintain records dating back to the 1920s and 1930s.
"In recent months, however, many of them have been served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property, without any accompanying evidence or explanation," he said in his letter.
The BJP MP said the scale of these claims is substantial, with nearly 1,500 acres being designated as Waqf property in their village alone. "The farmers claim that apart from being served notices, changes have been made in the RTC, pahani and mutation registers for some of the land parcels without following the due process of law."
"I, therefore, request that you invite the delegation of affected farmers to appear as witnesses before the Committee. Their testimony will provide valuable insights into the local implications of the proposed amendments and the pressing issues faced by the farming community in this regard," he said.
After the controversy over the notices erupted, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said none of the farmers will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.
Responding to a question that similar notices have been issued to farmers in Yadgir and Dharwad districts too, the CM said: "I will ask the Revenue Minister to look into it, nowhere farmers will be evicted." Seeking to clarify "confusion" over 1,200 acres in Honavada of Tikota taluk being marked as Waqf property, M B Patil (Industries and Vijayapura district in-charge Minister) had recently said it was due to an “error” in the gazette notification.
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