BJP National Youth President and MP Tejasvi Surya questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asking if he is 'turning Karnataka into a Pakistan' after the officers in Vijayapura district are mulling to include thousands of acres of land to the Wakf board.
Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru, Surya said that officials in Vijayapura district are all geared to get the lands of farmers to the Wakf Board according to the directions from the Minister for Wakf, Minority Affairs and Housing B.Z. Zameer Ahmad Khan.
"However, there is no documentary proof of how the land belongs to the Wakf board. Siddaramaiah and Minister Zameer, are you trying to make Karnataka into a Pakistan," Surya said.
He also added that many people don't know why the Central government is bringing amendments to the Wakf Act.
Minister Zameer went to some districts and asked the Deputy Commissioners to get the properties that the Wakf board is claiming registered within 15 days. After taking instructions from the minister, the officers are tampering with the land records. In Vijayanagara district itself, the Wakf board claims 15,000 acres as its land," he said.
He also asserted that the government was ready to humiliate Hindus by gifting land to Muslims.
"The Deputy Commissioners and tehsildars should run the government as per the Constitution. It should not be run as per the Sharia laws. They can't take instructions from Minister Zameer or a Mulla and carry out orders," Surya said.
He said if the state government continues its policies, he will move the High Court and Lokayukta and get the officers suspended.
"There is an attempt to take as much land as possible before the Central government brings the new Wakf law. Let the farmers from any part of the state come to my office if they face problems from the Wakf board. I will get justice in the High Court," he assured.
He said that this is India and cannot run like Pakistan. "In the name of Wakf, the Congress has committed fraud with Muslims. Wakf means the properties provided by Allah. If the Wakf board encroached land, a notice can be issued and it could be investigated. Under Section 40, the ownership could be claimed. This amendment was brought by the Congress in 1995," he said.
He said the Congress has brought the Wakf Tribunal for Muslim votes and added that the Congress has let the Wakf board take away lands through the law.
"To stop this, the central government is initiating the amendment of the Wakf law. All these games will stop when the Wakf Amendments are passed in the Parliamentary session this December," he said.
A delegation of farmers from Vijayapura district who had received notices met Tejasvi Surya at his office and shared their woes.
BJP MLA from Vijayapura Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has held a massive convention of farmers recently and warned the officials not to trouble the farmers. He had also given a call not to receive notices from the authorities.
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