Waqf land dispute: BJP's Tejasvi Surya urges JPC to hear claims of Karnataka farmers

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday out to the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill , Jagdambika Pal, requesting that farmers from Karnataka's Vijayapura district be invited as witnesses to share their experiences and concerns over land disputes involving the Waqf Board.

He posted a copy of the letter on social media platform X saying, "Have written to the Chairperson of the JPC on Waqf Amendment Bill Jagdambika Pal, drawing attention to the plight of farmers from Vijayapura District and other areas in the vicinity in Karnataka, who have been wrongfully served notices claiming their land as Waqf property."

In his letter, Surya highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by local farmers, emphasizing the need for their voices to be included in discussions as the committee reviews the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act.

" I had the opportunity to meet a delegation of farmers from Vijayapura District, Karnataka and other areas in the vicinity. These farmers, who have cultivated their lands for nearly a century, maintain records dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. In recent months, however, many of them have been served notices declaring their lands as Waqf property, without any accompanying evidence or explanation. The scale of these claims is substantial, with nearly 1,500 acres being designated as Waqf property in their village alone. The farmers claim that apart from being served notices, changes have been made in the RTC, pahani and mutation registers for some of the land parcels without following the due process of law," he said in the leter.

"I, therefore, request that you invite the delegation of affected farmers to appear as witnesses before the Committee. Their testimony will provide valuable insights into the local implications of the proposed amendments and the pressing issues faced by the farming community in this regard," he added while urging the JPC chair to conduct field visits to the impacted areas in Karnataka to directly interact with farmers who have faced challenges due to the Waqf Board's decisions.

However, Karnataka's Waqf and minority affairs minister Zameer Ahmad Khan refuted the above claims regarding land encroachment from farmers.

"I will give all the details about how many notices are been served, no one can take back the land belong to any one, specially farmers. Farmers are our feeders, how can somebody take land belong to farmers, I may be the minister, does that mean that official can convert the land belongs to farmers?"

Khan accused the BJP of politicicing the issue for electoral gains. Speaking to reporters, he was quoted by ANI saying, "They (BJP) only take up this issue because elections are around. I'm not doing Waqf adalat from today, I'm doing Waqf adalat from last 11 months, we did it in Yadgiri, hubli, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Karwar, Belagavi, Vijayapura. After elections are over I'll do Waqf adalt in other districts, they (don't have any issues that's why they have taken this up only for politics, as by elections are ahead, Maharastra elections they are speaking this issue now. I don't want to speak their language, I'm a pure Hindustani indian, who's ever lives in india are Indians."

The dispute over Waqf land has created tension between Congress and BJP, leading the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiahto address the situation. "I have already made a statement. We have not issued any notice to the farmers and we are not going to evict anybody who has been in possession of the property for many years," he said.