‘Are you turning K’taka into Pakistan’: Tejasvi Surya to Siddaramaiah on Wakf land row

Bengaluru, Oct 25 : BJP National Youth President and MP Tejasvi Surya on Friday questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asking him if is he ‘turning Karnataka into a Pakistan’ after the officers in Vijayapura district are mulling to include thousands of acres of land to Wakf board.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Surya said that the officials of Vijayapura district are all set to include the lands of farmers to the Wakf Board as per the directions of 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 added that many people do not know why the Central government is bringing amendments to the Wakf Act.

“Minister Zameer visited a few districts and instructed the Deputy Commissioners to register the properties claimed by the Wakf board in 15 days. After getting instructions from the minister, the officers are changing the land records. In Vijayanagara district alone, the Wakf board is claiming 15,000 acres as its land,” he said.

He claimed that the government is all set to “humiliate” Hindus and allot 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 that state government persists with its policies he will approach 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 would 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 stated.

He claimed that the Congress has brought the Wakf Tribunal for Muslim votes, adding 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 got notices had 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 notice from the authorities.