HUBBALLI: Hubballi MLA and BJP leader Mahesh Tenginkai on Sunday alleged that since Assembly elections are to be held in Maharashtra and Jharkhand soon, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed officials to retract all notices related to Waqf land issues.
He said that the withdrawal of notices of the Wakf Board claims on the land of the farmers in Karnataka by the Congress-ruled Siddaramaiah government of the state is just a sham and said that the step was taken for political gains in view of upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
Tenginkai also asked the Congress government in the state to issue a Gazette notification instead of just withdrawing the orders as the Congress government might resume it once the elections are over.
“Right now, elections are going to be held in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, in view of that first they issued the notice and now they are withdrawing it, they thought of doing a big scam…there should be a Gazette notification. In the coming days, after the election, they (Congress) might resume it, there is no guarantee…,” said Mahesh Tenginkai.
#WATCH | Hubbali: On Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah directed officials to retract all notices related to Waqf land issues, BJP leader Mahesh Tenginkai says, ” Right now, elections are going to be held in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, in view of that first they issued the notice and now… pic.twitter.com/gN7xld4ZyT
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Earlier, Karnataka Legislative Council LoP Chalavadi Narayanaswamy reacting to the order, called it just an “eyewash” to win the local elections. Narayanaswamy said, “Now, you’ve given the order to withdraw the notices. But still, in the gazette, it is only Waqf’s property. So this is not a solution at all. I will immediately request CM Siddaramaiah to withdraw the 1974 gazette. Otherwise, it is just an eyewash to win the local elections. This will not bring any relief to the farmers”.
Last Saturday, Siddaramaiah issued a strict directive to officials to immediately retract all notices sent to farmers concerning waqf land issues, emphasizing that no disturbances should be caused to the farmers, said the Chief Minister’s Office in a statement. The directive followed a high-level meeting involving senior officials from the Revenue Department, Minority Welfare Department, and the Waqf Board, added the statement from the CMO.
Notably, 41 farmers of Honwada village located in Tikota taluk of Vijaypur district of Karnataka were recently sent a notice by the Waqf Board, in which it was claimed that their 1500 acres of land is the property of the Waqf Board.
Notices were sent to the farmers, in which it was said that this land was marked as Waqf property. However, the farmers said that there is no dargah of this name in their village and this land is the ancestral property of their families.
However, following protests by people, the Karnataka government decided to withdraw the notice issued by the Wakf Board after it arbitrarily claimed 1,500 acres of farmers’ land. (ANI)