Hubballi (Karnataka) [India]: Amid the ruckus over the Waqf board land issue, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday accompanied Waqf Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman Jagdambika Pal in Karnataka’s Hubballi to meet the farmers.
The farmers informed that their land was designated as Waqf board’s property without any prior notice or due process, Surya said, adding that the Parliamentary committee formed to review the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was meeting all stakeholders.
“I joined JPC Chairperson Jagdambika Pal in Hubballi to meet with local farmer delegations who are adversely impacted by recent Waqf Board claims on their ancestral lands. The farmers expressed concern that their land was designated as Waqf property without prior notice or due process. The JPC has been actively meeting with all stakeholders to understand all aspects of the existing law & the proposed amendments. We will also be meeting farmers from Vijayapura and Belagavi next,” the BJP MP said.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that this was all a political drama since there were elections in the state.
“Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started this (sending of notices) in 2019, but the Karnataka government remains committed and would not change any record”, he said, adding that they might have come for their political purpose.
“This is all a political drama since there are upcoming elections. Land is a state subject. BJP themselves started this in 2019. They had given notices. Even in Dharwad, they gave notices. It is the continuation of that. But my government is committed, we will not change any record. We will not rectify it. We don’t want to affect any farmers. This has all been started by the BJP. They are trying to put the blame on us but we don’t mind. JPC doesn’t have any powers to enter, they might have come for their political purposes since it was not an officially designated visit,” he said.
Earlier, the JPC Chairman on Thursday morning met various farmers’ organisations in Karnataka’s Hubballi and said that the fact-finding report will be presented in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament. He was accompanied by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya.
“We will submit the report in the upcoming (winter) session of Parliament,” Pal said while speaking with media, adding that he was visiting the state to meet farmers after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya invited him.