Karnataka Waqf land row: Congress stooping too low for appeasement politics, alleges Pralhad Joshi

Dharwad: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of resorting to appeasement politics at the cost of farmers’ interest and said the state government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was using minister Zameer Khan to appease minorities.

"By tampering with the revenue records, the government is entering the name of Waqf Board as the owner of the farmers’ land and thus causing grave injustice to the people," Joshi said in Dharwad on Tuesday.

Replying to queries from media persons, Joshi said the Congress government at the Centre under Jawaharlal Nehru’s prime ministership passed the Waqf Act for the reasons best known to them. Further in 2013, the Congress-led UPA II government gave exceptional powers to Waqf Board and said even Supreme Court cannot question the Waqf Board’s notifications. "No other religious organisation enjoys this power," Joshi pointed out.

He said, the Waqf Board was issuing notices to the farmers to part with their land as it was Waqf property. "The name of Waqf as the owner of the land has been entered into the revenue records by the revenue officials on oral instructions by minister Zameer Khan and now that there are by-elections to three assembly seats and the government is facing backlash, the ministers are talking of withdrawing the notices," Joshi charged.

"There should be a limit for appeasement. If not resisted the Waqf Board may claim that all the land where people offered namaz belong to it," he said.

Lashing out at Vijayapura deputy commissioner for asking the farmers to bring documents to prove that the land belonged to them, Joshi said it was the mistake committed by the DC and his staff as they should be punished for tampering with the records illegally. “Several Muslims have encroached upon the Waqf property and nothing has been done to retrieve it” he said.

Joshi said the whole Waqf Act needs to be abolished. “The BJP-led NDA government is bringing in several amendments to the Waqf Act and the Congress is opposing it. We will not allow the Congress to snatch away poor people’s land," he asserted.

‘Will speak to Ramesh Jarkiholi’

On former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi’s assertion that he would not campaign for BJP candidates in the ensuing by-elections as long as Vijayendra heads the state unit of the party, Joshi said he would request Ramesh to change his mind and work for the party’s success.

"The priority now is to defeat Congress in the state as the Congress is doing injustice to Hindus and needs to be taught a lesson. The internal difference in BJP can be ironed out internally," he said.