No Farmer Will Be Evicted: Siddaramaiah Amid Waqf Land Controversy

Following allegations by a section of farmers from Vijayapura district that their lands were marked as Waqf properties, Karnataka Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah on Tuesday said none of them will be evicted, and notices issued to them will be withdrawn.

"No farmer will be evicted from their land. Yesterday Revenue Minister (Krishna Byre Gowda), MB Patil (Industries and Vijayapura district in-charge Minister) and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan have jointly said that no farmer from Vijayapura will be evicted from their land," Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said in case notices have been issued to farmers, they will be withdrawn.

Responding to a question that similar notices have been issued to farmers in Yadgir and Dharwad districts too, the Chief Minister said: "I will ask the Revenue Minister to look into it, nowhere farmers will be evicted." Seeking to clarify "confusion" over 1,200 acres in Honavada of Tikota taluk being marked as Waqf property, MB Patil had recently said it was due to an “error” in the gazette notification.

He also had said only 11 acres out of the 1,200 acres are Waqf properties, and a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner will be formed to resolve the issues.

Meanwhile, Mr Patil earlier today accused the BJP of promoting a "fake Hindu love" stance through misinformation, as he claimed that notices were served to farmers in Vijayapura district by the Waqf Board between 2019 and 2022, when the saffron party was in power.

Posting the copies of notices issued during the BJP rule on 'X', Patil criticised the party for engaging in "divisive politics," rather than focusing on the state's development during its tenure.

"They (BJP) misled the people with issues like 'hijab', 'halal', and 'Urigowda-Nanjegowda' while they were in power, and now they are continuing the same tactics. Their attempts to deceive the public with fabricated narratives will not work anymore," the Minister said.

Noting that the BJP has reconstituted its fact-finding committee on the Waqf issue, that was initially set up by party president B Y Vijayendra, after facing backlash from its own leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, M B Patil said that the addition of Yatnal and MP Ramesh Jigajinagi to the panel appears tokenistic, indicating internal struggles within the party.

He further challenged the BJP to clarify why notices were issued to farmers during its government.

Earlier in the day, Vijayendra, speaking to reporters, hit out at the ruling Congress for accusing the BJP of doing politics.

"Farmers' ancestral land was all of a sudden claimed as Waqf property, farmers will come on the streets, what should they do....the Congress is indulging in appeasing minorities and thereby dividing the country in the name of the religion, they have been doing it for long. They are trying to incite fire in the state under the leadership of Zameer Ahemed Khan (Waqf Minister)," he said.

Vijayendra claimed that the Minister himself has accepted that notices were issued to 120 farmers.

"If the BJP had not taken this issue seriously, the farmers would have come to the streets. After we raised the issue they formed the task force and asked farmers to approach the Deputy Commissioner," he said.

The BJP state chief said a team formed by the party under the leadership of former Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol has reached Vijayapura district.

"They will visit all the taluks of the district, meet farmers, and instil confidence in them. When attempts are on to put farmers in trouble, the BJP is with farmers and will provide them with all necessary help, including legal assistance. We will strongly stand with them," he added.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi too hit out at the Congress government and Zameer Ahmed Khan, and cited the Anwar Manappadi report which claimed that several Congress leaders "are making crores of rupees by using Waqf property as their own."

He demanded the suspension of tahsildars who issued notices to farmers and also to book cases against the officials responsible. "What is happening in this country, anyone can claim anything. My personal opinion is that Waqf law should be removed, but the Modi government is bringing positive changes in it."

JD(S) leader and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, speaking in Ramanagara, said the truth should come out regarding "loot of government or farmers land" in the name of Waqf property.

"I warn the state government against looting the government and farmers' land and protecting the looters in the name of minority appeasement," he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)