Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government said that notices issued to farmers marking their lands as Waqf properties in Vijayapura district will be withdrawn, as it sought to do damage control on the issue that was threatening to snowball into a major row.
The move came ahead of the bypolls and right as the BJP was making noise and looking to milk the issue.
On Saturday and Sunday, Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil tried to douse the row by stating that the Waqf row had cropped up due to a gazette error.
“We have ordered for an inquiry by the deputy commissioner into the error and the notices issued to farmers will be withdrawn,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the decision to withdraw such notices will be applicable to the entire state. “This is not just about Vijayapura. In case of any such instances in any parts of the state, the same rule will be applicable. I am talking about the entire state,” he said.
Gowda stressed there was no intention to convert farmers’ property into Waqf board. “The government has no intention to withdraw the land granted to farmers. Around 124 notices were issued to 433 farmers who were in possession. It was a mistake by the tahsildar and the same will be withdrawn,” he said, adding the land granted to farmers under ‘Bagar Hukum’ will not be withdrawn.
To clear the confusion over Waqf property in Vijayapura, a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner will be formed to verify property documents prior to 1974, Gowda said.
In Bengaluru, two ministers — Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil and Waqf and Minority Welfare Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan — termed the row a political conspiracy hatched by the Opposition. “It was a well-planned political conspiracy by the Opposition parties to create confusion among the public. It is a clear conflict between BJP state president BY Vijayendra and legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal,” said M B Patil.
Khan said the BJP stoked the row to get advantage in Maharashtra, Jharkhand elections and also in the state bypolls.
Earlier, Patil, who is in charge of Vijayapura, said the error happened due to a 1973-74 gazette notification. “The Waqf Board corrected in 1977 by removing ‘Honavada’ village from the records. Only 11 acres of the 1,200 acres disputed property is in the name of Waqf Board,” he clarified.