BJP communalizing waqf debate, alleges Rizwan

NT Correspondent

Belagavi

Congress MLA from Shivajinagar Rizwan Arshad on Friday claimed that Opposition BJP was communalizing the waqf issue, adding that most cases of encroachment were commercial and not agricultural. The debate on waqf often devolved into a shouting match between the Congress and BJP members. The BJP had initially staged a walk-out led by Leader of the Opposition (LOP) R Ashoka upon denial of the opportunity to discuss the waqf issue. Congress MLAs like Nayana Motamma had sought to discuss BJP MLA Munirathna allegedly using a casteist slur against Dalits.

Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda wanted to make a statement on rain damage. Eventually, the BJP MLAs came back to the House after the discussion on the Karnataka State Board of Auqaaf (KSBA) getting tehsildars to issue notices and claiming lands allegedly not belonging to them was given priority. Ashoka, BJP state president BY Vijayendra, saffron party MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal and others spoke on the issue. Meanwhile, Rizwan Arshad and Minister for IT-BT Priyank Kharge offered a volley of rebuttals.“Commercial exploitation accounts for 60 per cent of the waqf encroachments. The disputes pertaining to farmland are few,” Rizwan said, adding that agricultural plots made up “less than 0.1 per cent” of the cases.

“Yatnal has his own team and Vijayendra has his own team and are creating an atmosphere of anxiety. This is a matter that concerns our community,” the MLA said, adding that the BJP’s campaign had “communal” overtones. Ashoka alleged many well-known temples, mutts, historical structures and schools, among other buildings were being claimed by the KSBA. “I had gone to Mysuru district, Krishnaraja Assembly constituency, to be precise. I visited Muneshwara Nagar there.

Everyone living there are Kurubas, in some 110 houses. Earlier, it was a village. Now, it comes under Mysuru city. The land is in their name and they have paid taxes as well, all thanks to the previous Congress government. However, its status has been changed to waqf board land,” he said.

Farmers in limbo: Vijayendra Vijayendra hit back against Rizwan who had claimed that the BJP was once “pro-waqf” and had vowed to protect them from encroachments but had flipped their stance when the Centre introduced a Bill on the issue. “Farmers are terrified because when their lands are marked as waqf property, they can’t sell the plots nor take out loans on them,” he said.

Yatnal went so far as to claim that the sacred place of Lingayats where the religious parliament Anubhav Mantap was held in Bidar district was encroached by waqf property.