BENGALURU: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Waqf Board row and accused the party of indulging in "politics over the issue".
Speaking to ANI, the Karnataka Minister questioned the BJP over its actions on the Waqf board during their regime.
"Not our government, but even during the BJP government, the notices of Waqf that were issued have all been stopped and asked to withdraw... CM has assured that the agriculture that is being done by farmers will be given protection; such an order has been issued... The BJP is doing politics; during their regime, did they shut the Waqf board?" Priyank Kharge told ANI.
Following a significant rise in land claims by the Waqf Board, affecting farmers' ancestral lands, temples, government buildings, and even centrally protected monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in several parts of Karnataka has given rise to a political row in the state.
This situation has caused severe distress among local farmers and landowners, who are witnessing their generational land rights challenged without proper notification or due process.
More than 15,000 acres in Vijayapura District alone have been claimed, including ancestral farmland vital for local farmers' livelihoods. Over 1,500 acres of farmland across 89 survey numbers in Honavada village in Tikota Taluk alone have been unilaterally claimed as Waqf property, according to a press statement.
Many farmers in Babaleshwar Taluk have also received notices stating that their lands are now classified as Waqf property under the Waqf Act. Claims extend to temples and mutt lands, such as the Someshwara Temple (Chalukyan era) and Virakta Mutt (dating to the 12th century), added the statement.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Government's Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, has written to all Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners related to the Waqf issue.
The letter warns of disciplinary action against officials who alter land mutation records and issue eviction notices to farmers under the Waqf Act.
The order issued on November 9 states to withdraw all notices served to farmers and to immediately take back the land mutation orders served by any authority and also to stop mutation work.
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