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Former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader Basavraj Bommai on Sunday called the state government's decision to retract all notices related to Waqf land issues a "distraction" done to ward off farmers' wrath during the by-elections.
"Chief Minister Siddaramaiah knows the waqf law very well. He is trying to distract the wrath of the farmers during the by-elections. Withdrawal of the notices does not serve the purpose, notice can be served at any time once again," Bommai told ANI. "Therefore, if the Chief Minister is really interested in the welfare of the farmers and the security of their land, he should withdraw the Gazette notification based on which these notices are issued. Unless and until that is done, the CM should order the waqf board to withdraw that Gazette notification. On 4th November, we will hold a big protest against all the waqf issues," he added. Earlier in the day, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a dig at the Congress-led Karnataka government for its retraction of the notices. He said that the government has become "a U-turn expert". "The Karnataka government has now become a U-turn expert. First, it says that there was no MUDA scam, and then it returns to the land of the MUDA scam. Now Siddaramaiah has ordered that no farmer's land will be taken," Shehzad Poonawalla told ANI. "But Waqf is not stopping at all, 53 Waqf properties have been identified in Vijayapura and Karnataka. This clearly means that the Congress wanted to give the farmers' land to Waqf, to its vote bank, in a planned manner. Today, when the process of bringing amendments in Waqf takes place in JPC, the Congress opposes it," he added. Earlier on November 2, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah issued a strict directive to officials to immediately retract all notices sent to farmers concerning waqf land issues, emphasizing that no disturbances should be caused to the farmers, according to a statement by the Chief Minister's Office. On Saturday, Karnataka Waqf and Minority Affairs Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan slammed the opposition BJP in the state for a row over waqf notice to farmers and alleged that it was "projected differently." Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Khan said that the notice has been withdrawn for reconsideration. "The temporary notice served to farmers has been made into a big issue by the BJP. They have projected it differently and are giving the wrong message to the country. The CM has decided to withdraw the notice and we are reconsidering it," he told ANI on Saturday. The Chief Minister's directive came after a high-level meeting involving senior officials from the Revenue Department, Minority Welfare Department, and the Waqf Board. The CM expressed strong dissatisfaction over recent actions taken by certain officials and highlighted that the JD(S) and BJP were allegedly using the Waqf matter for political gain, potentially disturbing peace in the state. Siddaramaiah appealed to the public to disregard any misinformation and called on officials to ensure the matter was handled sensitively. Karnataka Legislative Council LoP Chalavadi Narayanaswamy reacted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's orders of immediate withdrawal of waqf notice to farmers, saying that it is just an "eyewash" to win the local elections. Speaking to ANI, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, "Now, you've given the order to withdraw the notices. But still, in the gazette, it is only Waqf's property. So this is not a solution at all. I will immediately request CM Siddaramaiah to withdraw the 1974 gazette. Otherwise, it is just an eyewash to win the local elections. This will not bring any relief to the farmers." (ANI)
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