"All rights given to Waqf board shall be revoked": BJP leader CT Ravi after protest in Karnataka

BJP leader CT Ravi told ANI, "Our only issue is to remove the Waqf Board. All rights given to the Waqf Board shall be revoked. We are agitating against the Waqf Board claiming temple land, farmers' lands, cremation grounds, and properties of Dalits. We will raise this issue in the Parliament as well."

Amid an ongoing controversy over the Waqf Board land issue, Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders staged a protest against the state government on Saturday, demanding the removal of the term "Waqf Board" from government records and raising concerns over alleged encroachments by the Waqf Board.

Earlier, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said that every decision taken by the Karnataka government is anti-poor.

"The latest decision in Karnataka of a 20 percent hike in government hospitals and medical colleges indicates that the Congress government is desperate to raise its resources to fulfil its guarantees. I demand that Siddaramaiah withdraw such an anti-poor decision... BJP is not opposed to the cancellation of BPL cards," he said.

Former Minister BC Patil, BJP Haveri district president Arunkumar Pujar, former MLA Virupakshappa Bellary, along with other BJP leaders and activists, participated in the protest.

Protests were held in front of Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Tahsildar offices across the state under the banner 'Our Land, Our Right'.

Earlier, amid the uproar over the issue, the Karnataka Government's Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department issued a directive to all Regional Commissioners and District Commissioners regarding the Waqf matter.

The letter warns of disciplinary action against officials who alter land mutation records or issue eviction notices to farmers under the Waqf Act. The order, issued on November 9, directs officials to withdraw all notices served to farmers, revoke any land mutation orders issued by authorities, and halt ongoing mutation work. (ANI)