Waqf land issue: BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla slams Karnataka govt, says ‘u-turn experts’ alleges vote bank politics

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has slammed the Congress-led Karnataka government for its moves related to the Waqf land issue, ANI reported.

Speaking to the news agency, Poonawalla jibed at the state government for retracting notices related to the Waqf land issue and called it a “U-turn expert”.

‘U-turn, Vote Bank’

“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,” Poonawalla said.

“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.

What Happened?

According to a statement by the Chief Minister's Office, CM Siddaramaiah on November 2 directed officials to immediately retract all notices sent to farmers concerning waqf land issues, stating that no disturbances should be caused to the farmers.

On the same day, 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Speaking to ANI on November 2, Khan said that the notice has been withdrawn for reconsideration.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 stated.

‘Disturbance of Peace’

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. He appealed to the public to disregard any misinformation and called on officials to ensure the matter was handled sensitively, as per the report.

Karnataka Legislative Council LoP Chalavadi Narayanaswamy reacted to the withdrawal orders by calling it an “eyewash” to win the local elections. “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,” he alleged.

(With inputs from ANI)