BJP vs Congress in Karnataka after Waqf Board claims 1,500 acres of villagers’ land.

Tejasvi Surya slams Waqf Board for claiming rights over 1,500 acres of ancestral land mainly of Hindu farmers. Congress finds solution in appeasement!

He further said that any citizen affected by the Waqf Board’s claims over his or her land is forced to approach the Waqf Tribunal itself for settlement of the issue instead of a civil court.

B Upendran | HENB | Bengaluru | Oct 26, 2024:: BJP leader Tejasvi Surya stated on Friday that the Karnataka State Board of Waqfs has claimed ownership of approximately 1,500 acres of ancestral land belonging to farmers in Honvada village, Vijayapura district, North Karnataka. These farmers mostly belong to Hindu community.

B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan is the Karnataka Waqf Minister at the center of the controversy surrounding the notices sent to farmers in Honvada village, Tikota Taluk, declaring their lands as Waqf property. Khan has been serving as the Cabinet Minister in the Government of Karnataka since May 20, 2023, overseeing the Housing, Waqf, and Minority Welfare departments.

As a five-time MLA from the Chamrajpet Constituency, Khan’s political career spans multiple roles, including his previous position as Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Minority Welfare. His party affiliation has shifted over the years, initially with the Janata Dal (Secular) and later joining the Indian National Congress in 2018.

The allegations made by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya claim that Khan directed officials to register lands in favor of the Waqf Board within 15 days, without providing evidence or explanation to the affected farmers.

Farmers in Vijayapura’s Honwada village are facing a major issue after receiving notices from the Karnataka Board of Waqfs claiming their ancestral lands as Waqf property. The notices allegedly lack evidence and explanation, leaving farmers stunned and concerned. The claimed land area is staggering, with around 1,500 acres affected in Honvada village alone.

According to the farmers, their families have owned the land for generations, but the Waqf board claims it belongs to the Shah Aminuddin Dargah, a historical religious site. However, local leaders argue that this dargah hasn’t existed for centuries, questioning the validity of the Waqf board’s claims.

The issue has sparked protests, with farmers submitting a memorandum to the district in-charge minister, MB Patil, demanding the withdrawal of the notices. The Karnataka Home Minister has assured that the decision will be based on old records. The BJP has criticized the Congress-led state government for supporting the Waqf board’s claims, framing it as “appeasement politics”.

The BJP MP  alleged, “Khan recently visited and directed the deputy commissioner and revenue officials to register lands in favour of the Waqf Board within 15 days, with the aim to circumventing the reforms being brought in by PM Narendra Modi-led government through the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.”

Surya rued that this entire process is being executed in violation of the principles natural justice, sidelining farmers while their land titles are being changed to the Waqf Board’s name in revenue records. The vill

“India runs on the basis of the rule of law and the Constitution, not on Sharia or instructions of Ministers like Zameer Ahmed Khan,” he added.

The troubling actions by the Waqf Board were threatening the livelihoods and rights of families who have tilled these lands for generations, the MP, who is also Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president said.

He slammed the Congress for drafting laws giving unbridled and unchecked powers to the Waqf Board with the 1955 and 2013 Waqf Acts.

He stated that the Waqf law of 1955 and Amendment of 2013 provide the Waqf Board unchecked power to claim any property as Waqf land.

Tejasvi further said that any citizen affected by the Waqf Board’s claims over his or her land is forced to approach the Waqf Tribunal itself for settlement of the issue instead of a civil court.

“The law further takes away the right of appeal of a citizen over his property by making the decision of the tribunal final. By enacting such laws the Congress has committed a betrayal to citizens across the country,” he alleged.

In the meanwhile Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara assured on Saturday to review the matter not victimizing the farmers of Honvada village. According to available reports, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya and Congress’s MB Patil already met the farmers in Honvada village.

Earlier, in Tamil Nadu, the Waqf Board has claimed ownership of the 1,500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple and the entire Hindu village of Thiruchendurai in Tiruchirappalli district. In Kerala,  plight of 200 fishermen families (mostly Christians) in Munambam came to fore who are spending sleepless nights due to the Waqf Act. Recently, AIDUF MP Badruddin Ajmal  claimed, ‘Parliament building and Delhi Airport made on Waqf property’. It’s not far away, when the Muslims in India will claim whole of India as the property of Waqf Board!

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__Inputs from PTI, Deccan Herald and India Today.