VIJAYAPURA: A day after the visit of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) chairman Jagadambika Pal to Hubballi and Vijayapura, Karnataka industries minister MB Patil reaffirmed his stance on Friday, vowing to prevent transfer of farmers’ lands, religious sites or public properties to the Waqf Board.
“After BJP started making false allegations about waqf properties, chief minister Siddaramaiah ordered withdrawal of all notices issued to farmers. The process of cancelling and withdra wing 423 notices issued by Waqf Board to farmers has been completed. We will not allow an inch of property belonging to farmers, religious places, and the common people to be taken over by Waqf Board,” Patil said.
Law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil, too, said the legal framework is in place. “There are several laws in the state, including Land Reforms Act. Nobody can snatch anybody’s land. Karnataka is a law-bound state. Opposition is trying to bring disputes between religions and castes by misleading people,” he added.
Patil: Cong only correcting BJP’s mistakesEarlier, MB Patil presented documents to show it was the BJP govt that had previously issued circulars to remove encroachments on waqf properties and formed a task force for the same.
“The Congress govt is only correcting the mistakes of BJP,” he claimed.
Regarding withdrawal of BJP’s indefinite dharna led by Union minister Shobha Karandlaje and MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Patil said, “I thought they would protest for a long time. But why did they end the protest so quickly? They ended it out of fear of mosquito bites.”
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