WAQF PROPERTIES ROW; JPC Chairman receives over 500 petitions from farmers in K'taka

NT Correspondent

Hubballi/Vijayapura

Over 500 petitions were received by Chairman of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal, on Thursday from farmers in Karnataka's northern districts, who alleged that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, according to Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya's office. Pal, along with Surya, also a JCP member, visited Hubballi, Vijayapura and Belagavi, during which he met farmers and members of various organisations who complained that their lands were being claimed by the State Waqf Board. "Jagdambika Pal along with Surya received over 500 petitions from farmers from Vijayapura, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Hubballi, Bagalkote and Belgavi on their agricultural land being claimed by the Waqf Board as Waqf property," Surya's office said in a statement. Noting that he had come to the state on a "fact finding" mission and to meet those aggrieved, Pal said, farmers and various organisations have handed over to him documents and memorandums. He said he assured them their issues will be discussed in the JPC.

"Maybe the state government has given directions to the revenue department officials not to evict the farmers, but will the issue be resolved? There has been tampering of records, mutations, Waqf has ensured changes in the documents. What is the state government doing on this and who is responsible for this?" he asked. Reacting to Pal's visit, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the JPC chief's visit was "political". "...I have clearly said the notices issued should be withdrawn and we will not evict anyone, and in case records are amended they will be nullified. When I have said this, where is the issue?" he asked. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said, it was a tour of a "drama company" and was "politically motivated", with an eye on the assembly by-polls in the state and election in Maharashtra. Charging the JPC Chairman with indulging in political propaganda, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress President, said it is not a joint Parliamentary committee that is visiting, as "only BJP members have come and are doing politics." Home Minister G Parameshwara too said, "it doesn't look like JPC as a committee is visiting, as the Chairman is visiting alone disregarding rules. "It seems to be a politically motivated visit." Members of the committee too have raised objections stating that any visit has to be decided in the panel and "unilaterally one cannot make visits," he said.

Later, addressing a gathering during his visit to Vijayapura, Pal said, "....what is the hurry for some one, when a transparent law (Waqf law) coming into force, to go to every district to conduct adalats (Waqf adalats) and declare the lands as Waqf properties?". Further highlighting various incidents and petitions submitted to him by farmers, groups and individuals, he said, the state government has to answer why such things are happening in the state. "Why notices are being given to farmers who are cultivating the land since 1920 and 1930, even before the law is enacted?" he asked, while pointing out that farmers have claimed that apart from serving notices, changes have been made in the RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), pahani and mutation registers.