After ‘love jihad’, ‘land jihad’ started in K’taka: BJP on Waqf row
Bengaluru: The Karnataka BJP said on Friday that after ‘land jihad’, ‘love jihad’ has been started in the state as part of appeasement for the Muslims regarding the Waqf Board.
“Land jihad has started in the state similar to love jihad which involves fencing off farmers’ lands, evicting them, and including Wakq entries in records. The state government is using the Waqf Board to encroach the Hindu lands, temples, and cemeteries, thereby creating divisions between Hindus and Muslims,” said Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka while addressing the Legislative Assembly.
He further alleged that Congress is following the British policy of “divide and rule” and demanded the removal of Waqf entries from farmers’ land records.
He insisted on withdrawing previous notifications and called for support of the Central government’s amendments to Waqf laws to rectify injustices against Hindus and farmers.
Ashoka compared the Waqf land encroachment issue to poet Kuvempu’s statement about oppressive governments exploiting farmers.
He alleged that historic temples, grazing lands, schools, cemeteries, ancestral properties, and government lands are being taken over by the Waqf Board, with land records being altered overnight.
“Due to droughts and floods, farmers are already struggling, and now the Waqf Board is claiming their land. The residents are being forced to travel to the Waqf Board office in Bengaluru to defend their case and are being pressured to lease the land for 30 years with annual payments,” he said.
He alleged that during India’s partition, Pakistan took over Hindu lands as state property, while in India, they were declared Waqf properties, marking the beginning of Congress’s appeasement politics.
“Originally, Waqf properties could only be donated by a Muslim. However, the P.V. Narasimha Rao-led Congress government amended the law to allow anyone to donate land, creating problems. The law mandates that if a Deputy Commissioner refers a land proposal to the Waqf Board, it must be published in the gazette within six months, which even BJP governments have had to follow,” he said.
Ashoka criticised the 2013 UPA government led by Manmohan Singh for amending the law to mandate that only a Muslim official could manage the Waqf Board, unlike the Hindu religious affairs department, which has no such rule.
He argued that this led to the current issues where farmers have to prove ownership if the Waqf Board claims their land.
“Additionally, complaints against the Waqf Board cannot be easily pursued in court,” he said.
He also accused the government of issuing widespread notices after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reportedly directed them to do so, following insistence by Minister for Waqf and Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan.
He cited incidents where forest lands in Sirsi, an old government school site in Mandya, and 19 guntas of land at Sir M. Visvesvaraya’s school in Chikkaballapur were claimed by the Waqf Board.
He noted that a mosque was built inside the school compound and land records were altered right before his visit.
Ashoka also mentioned the Windsor Manor Hotel land lease issue reported from Bengaluru.
“An assembly committee was formed to resolve the dispute. The committee had found irregularities. This property generates revenue to the tune of Rs 5 to Rs 6 crore rupees annually,” he said.
Ashoka challenged Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan to prove him wrong about the notices issued to 100 Kuruba homes in Mysuru, stating that if proven false, he was ready to face public rebuke.