Karnataka ministers junk BJP’s claim of Waqf notice to 1,200 farmers in Honwad village

PTI, Oct 29, 2024, 8:23 AM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday dismissed the claim of state BJP that it wanted to recover 1,200 acres of land from farmers in a village in Vijayapura district.

Addressing a joint press conference, state ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, M B Patil and B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan said only 11 acres belong to the Waqf board in Honwad village as against the BJP’s claim.

“Way back in 1973-74, a notification was issued for 14,201 acres and 32 Guntas of Waqf land. However, the Karnataka Board of Waqf is in possession of 723 acres of land presently. Despite the notification, the remaining 13,428 acres is not in the possession of the board,” Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told reporters.

The ministers were responding to the Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s allegation that 1,200 farmers in the village were served notices by the Waqf Board to vacate their ancestral land.

The state BJP unit has also constituted a five-member committee to study the notices served to the farmers in Vijayapura village, which does not have the local BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal.

“There is no greater lie than the one that the government wanted to recover 1,200 acres of land in Honwad village,” Gowda alleged.

He added that of the 13,428 acres, 12,083 acres and 17 Guntas has been given to farmers under Inam Abolition Act and Land Reforms Act.

“There is no question of taking back 12,083 acres. No one has given any such direction, no one has thought about it and no notices have been given,” the minister clarified.

The remaining 1,345 acres and 15 guntas has not been granted to farmers, he said, adding that Waqf has requested the state government to recover the land from encroachment that has not been granted to farmers.

“There is a case going on in the civil court regarding 20 acres of land out of 1,345 acres. Most of the 1,345 acres of land is in the possession of Dargah, Idgah Maidan, or Mutvallis. It is within the Muslims and not Hindus.” “This controversy in Honwad has been created only to divide people for vote bank purposes. It is also an extension of the fight between BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. This fight is impacting the social fabric,” he alleged.

The Minister further claimed that Yatnal himself has questioned the need for a committee without the local BJP MLA, to study the impact of notices served to villagers.

Waqf and Minority Welfare Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan explained that the Waqf Board has been holding Waqf Adalath everywhere.

Noting that Waqf property is the land donated by philanthropists, the minister tried to allay the concerns that Waqf property is a government property.

“The reality is that we don’t have an inch of government land. Barring the Muslim cremation ground, which was granted by the government, we don’t have any government property,” Khan claimed.

According to him, 1.12 lakh acres of land has been donated to the Waqf board. Of this, only 23,860 acres of land is now remaining.

He slammed Surya for spreading ‘misinformation’.

“He had said notices have been given for 1,200 acres of land in Honwad village but the fact is that only 11 acres there belongs to Waqf. The 11 acre comprises 10 acres burial ground and 24 guntas belongs to a Dargah. No one has been served notice there. The Waqf Board has no connection with that,” he added.

The Vijayapura district in charge Minister M B Patil alleged that the controversy in Honwad has been created to defend the proposed Waqf Bill, which the Centre is planning to introduce.

“An anti-Waqf atmosphere is being created because the BJP is an expert in that,” he alleged.