KALABURAGI/BIDAR: A team of BJP leaders on Monday launched the party’s tour of villages in the Kalyana Karnataka region from Bidar, where lands of many farmers, temples and other religious institutions have been allegedly listed as Waqf Board properties.
Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, Harihara MLA BP Harish, former ministers Arvind Limbavali, Kumar Bangarappa, and former Union minister GM Siddeshwar visited Dharampur and Chatnalli villages in Bidar district and spoke to farmers and religious leaders whose lands have been allegedly listed as Waqf properties.
In Dharampur village, the farmers told the BJP leaders that their lands have been listed as properties of the Waqf Board in the 11th column of ‘pahanis’. They sought to know whether they would lose their lands to the board.
In Chatnalli too, farmers expressed similar views. They said in 2011, the 11th column of their ‘pahanis’ was blank. But ‘Waqf Board’ began appearing on their ‘pahanis’ a few weeks ago.
Yatnal told farmers that in districts where deputy commissioners were from the minority community, lands had been allegedly listed as Wakf Board properties. Jaffer, who was Vijayapura deputy commissioner, converted an entire village in the district as Waqf Board’s property.
Lands belonging to Maharshi Valmiki Corporation, houses, temples and even a police station in Aland taluk had been listed as Waqf Board’s properties, Yatnal alleged.
To raise awareness among farmers and other landowners, the BJP has formed many teams and they have started visiting villages across the state, he told farmers.
Yatnal and Jarkiholi told villagers that the chief minister’s directive to revenue officials to withdraw the notices given to farmers was not enough. The Waqf Board should be abolished.
Till then, the BJP would continue its campaign. The BJP leaders asked villagers to exert pressure on AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge to support the amendments proposed to the Waqf Act.
Referring to the allegation of Congress leaders, including Home Minister G Parameshwara, that the BJP, while in power, had given notices to many people, Limbavali said they should mention the names of those who had received such notices.
The then BJP government issued notices to Congress leaders such as Rehman Khan, Jafar Sharif and Haris, who had allegedly encroached upon the land belonging to the Waqf Board. Was it wrong to issue notices to them? he said.
The BJP leaders and workers also took out a procession in Bidar. BJP leader Eshwar Singh Thakur, and JDS leaders Bandeppa Kashampur and NR Santosh accompanied the BJP team. The team will visit Kalaburagi on Tuesday.