“No farmer will be evicted from his land. If the government has issued any notice, they will be withdrawn,” the CM told media persons in Bengaluru responding to queries on farmers in these districts getting notices.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Waqf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and Industries minister MB Patil have already clarified on the subject, the CM said.
Patil, who is also the minister in charge of Vijayapura district, accused the BJP of spreading misinformation to achieve its political ends. The Waqf Board served these notices to farmers even when the BJP was in power, he said in a statement on Tuesday.
The BJP, the minister said, was continuing with the same tactics which it did stoking issues like hijab and halal while in power. He sought to know from the BJP why the notices were issued to farmers during its reign. “No farmer in Vijayapura district has been served a notice claiming their land as Waqf property under our government.”
BJP state president BY Vijayendra said the government would have thrown farmers on streets if his party had not raised its voice pledging to fight for their rights.Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal), BJP MLA from Vijayapura, warned the government that he would launch an agitation against the government if it did not act to remove Waqf Board’s name from the records of farmers’ as well as revenue lands. The BJP has set up a fact-finding team to meet the affected farmers and submit a report.Two bills, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024, are currently before the Lok Sabha. The government introduced them in the lower house in August, saying the amendments would streamline the Waqf Board’s work and ensure the efficient management of Waqf properties.
The term Waqf refers to properties dedicated exclusively for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law, and any other use or sale of the property is prohibited, says an explainer of the Bill put out by the ministry of minority affairs.
