NEW DELHI: The Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill, Jagdambika Pal will meet protesting farmers in Bijapur and Hubballi in Karnataka on November 7.
His visit comes amid controversy over notices to farmers’ land as Waqf land in areas like Hubballi and Bijapur. Many BJP leaders are sitting on Dharna there. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya had written to the JPC Chairman regarding this issue.
“Chairman of JPC on Waqf has kindly consented to my request to visit Hubli and Bijapur on 7th November to interact with farmers affected by the Waqf’s predatory action,” Tejasvi Surya posted on X.
“Chairman will interact with farmer organisations, Mutts and petitions given to him will be placed before JPC,” he added.
Earlier, reacting to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to retract all notices related to Waqf land issues, Jagdambika Pal said that by taking this step, he himself admitted that these notices were issued ‘mistakenly’ by the government.
“By taking this step, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has admitted that Waqf notices were wrongly issued on farmers’ land… I am going to Karnataka on November 7 and will see how the state government can issue notices on such a large scale….” Pal told ANI.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that Waqf’s name was added to land records for 44 properties across Indi and Chadachan taluks in Vijayapura district without proper notice, following a meeting between Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and district officials
Many farmers, unaware of the sudden Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops (RTC) mutations, have expressed concern over losing ancestral land.Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday that he has told his officials not to issue any notices to farmers and to withdraw the already issued notices also.
Addressing a public gathering here today, CM Siddaramaiah said, “The previous BJP government had also issued notices to those illegally occupying Waqf properties. Now I have told my officials not to issue any notices to farmers. I have instructed officials to withdraw the notices already issued to farmers.” (ANI)