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Amid BJP criticism over the Waqf land claim controversy, Karnataka's Minister for Housing, Waqf, and Minority Affairs, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, stated on Wednesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised this issue because the Maharashtra elections and by-polls are approaching.
Khan emphasised that he is not a minister solely for the Muslim community but for all. "They (BJP) bring up this issue because Maharashtra elections and by-polls are near. I have been holding Waqf Adalat sessions not just recently but for the past nine months. Am I a minister only for the Muslim community? I represent all communities," said Karnataka Minister Khan. Earlier today, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar accused the BJP of "politicising the issue" and stated that directions have already been given to the revenue department regarding the notices. "The BJP is politicising the issue (ongoing in Vijayapura). We are not affecting the farmers. Notices were issued even during the BJP regime, and we are working to correct it. We have directed the revenue department, the tehsildar, and the district commissioner to cancel all mutations made in the RTC," he told reporters on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated, "No farmers will be evicted from their lands, and if notices have been issued to them, they will be withdrawn." Notably, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has also written to the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Jagdambika Pal, requesting a delegation of affected farmers from Karnataka who claim their land is allegedly being marked as Waqf property. Posting a copy of his letter on social media platform X, Surya stated, "I have written to the Chairperson of the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill, Jagdambika Pal, highlighting the plight of farmers from Vijayapura District and nearby areas in Karnataka, who have been unjustly served notices claiming their land as Waqf property." (ANI)
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