Waqf: Are you turning Karnataka into Pakistan, Tejasvi Surya asks govt

Bengaluru: Amid prolonged national-level discussions over the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, Bangalore South’s BJP MP L S Tejasvi Surya on Friday asked the Congress whether they were turning Karnataka into Pakistan.

“I would like to ask Zameer Ahmed Khan, Siddaramaiah and the state government whether they intend to turn Karnataka into Pakistan. Without any basis, these Hindu farmers who tilled these lands for hundreds of years have been insulted and you are handing over the lands to Muslims.”

He was speaking after meeting several farmers from Vijayapura district, who claimed to have lost over 1,500 acres “illegally” to the Waqf board.

The Bangalore South MP said that the farmers of Honvada village in Tikota taluk were served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property “with no evidence or explanation provided.”

The MP stated that Waqf Minister Zameer visited some districts and directed DCs to register all lands claimed by the Waqf board in its favour in a fortnight. “DCs followed his order and changed the names in the mutation registers in favour of the board. The Waqf board has claimed over 15,000 acres of farmers’ land in Vijayapura district itself. Today they ask for this. Tomorrow it will happen in the country. Where should we go?”

Surya is a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Waqf Bill, formed after intense opposition by the opposition parties, who say the board’s autonomy is being infringed upon, especially with a clause to have non-Muslim members.

Explaining the Waqf Act, Surya said: “With months to go for the elections, the then Congress government brought in amendments in 1995. As per this, if the Waqf board feels a land belongs to them, they can enquire into it and declare the land theirs.” 

Even if the citizens want to challenge the board’s claims, they have to appear before the Waqf tribunal for settlement instead of the civil court. The Congress was planning to “usurp” as much land as possible before the new Waqf bill became an Act, he charged.