Waqf row: Siddaramaiah orders immediate withdrawal of notices to farmers

Bengaluru, Nov 2 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directed officials to immediately retract all notices sent to farmers over Waqf land issues, emphasising that the latter should not be inconvenienced.

The Chief Minister's directions came after a high-level meeting involving senior officials from the Revenue Department, Minority Welfare Department and the Waqf Board.

He expressed strong dissatisfaction over the recent actions of certain officials and claimed that the JD-S and BJP were "using" the Waqf issue for "political gain and potentially disturbing peace" in the state.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appealed to the public to disregard any misinformation and called on officials to ensure the matter was handled sensitively.

He instructed officers: "All notices issued to farmers on land records related to Waqf properties must be withdrawn without delay."

The officials were also instructed to avoid causing any trouble to farmers regarding land under their possession.

He said any unauthorised modifications to the land records (pahani) without prior notice or legal procedure should be immediately nullified.

Senior Karnataka BJP leader and former minister M. P. Renukacharya has released a video featuring Minister for Waqf and Tourism Zameer Ahmad Khan, instructing officials to reclaim Waqf properties on orders of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Speaking to the media in Davanagere, Renukacharya claimed that Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan, with the "backing" of CM Siddaramaiah, is attempting to transfer lands belonging to farmers and temples to the Waqf board. He also described Zameer as a "religious fanatic."

In the video, Zameer Ahmad Khan purportedly claims that CM Siddaramaiah has instructed him to visit every district in the state and hold meetings to reclaim Waqf properties.

This development is seen as a setback for the Congress government ahead of the bypolls, scheduled on November 13.

The Karnataka BJP has announced a state-wide protest on November 4, with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi calling for the immediate removal of Minister Zameer and a halt to the Waqf Adalats.

--IANS

mka/svn