BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya writes letter to JPC Chairman Jagdambika Pal on suppressed Lokayukta report and appeals for appropriate decisions

In his letter dated December 9, Siroya questioned why CM Siddaramiah was hiding the UPA Lokayukta Justice N Anand report on criminal misuse and encroachment of Waqf properties.

"This is to draw your kind attention to an investigation report produced by the former Karnataka Upa Lokayukta, Justice N Anand, and submitted to the Government of Karnataka in March 2016. This high-level enquiry in sharp detail documents the criminal misuse, mismanagement, illegal subletting and outright encroachment of Waqf properties over the decades in Karnataka, by those legally authorised to protect them. It is the clear case of the proverbial fence meant to protect the crops, ending up grazing them," the letter read.

Further, Siroya also questioned why the Congress government had panicked and withdrawn their own enquiry order and who the CM was trying to protect.

"Why did the government panic and withdraw its own enquiry order? Who was the Shri Siddaramaiah government trying to protect in 2016? If the government was really concerned about the encroachment of Wakf properties and the cause of minorities, why did it dissolve this enquiry commission overnight? Is it because if the report came out, some big names in the Congress, including Siddaramaiah's friends and allies in the party and government, would tumble out," the letter further read.

Siroya appealed to the committee to arrive at appropriate decisions and conclusions with regards to the future of Waqf legislation.

The MP also took to social media X and wrote in a post "My letter to the Chairman of JPC on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, Jagdambika Pal on the suppressed Lokayukta report by the Government of Karnataka under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah 2016, with regard to Waqf properties." (ANI)