Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah broke silence on the alleged waqf land grabbing controversy and said the state government has not issued any notice to farmers and will not evict anyone who has been in possession of the property since many years.

“I have already made a statement. We have not issued any notice to the farmers and we are not going to evict anyone who has been in possession of the property for many years,” he was quoted as saying by ANI .

Tejasvi Surya on Waqf land grabbing

Development comes after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya Jagdambika Pal, chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill, on Wednesday requested to call a delegation of farmers from Karnataka who were affected by their land allegedly being claimed as property of the Waqf.

Taking to his social media handles on farmers of Vijayapura district and other surrounding areas. in Karnataka, who have wrongly received notices claiming their land as Waqf property.

“He asked him to invite a delegation of these farmers as witnesses before the committee and also visit the affected areas for a public hearing to understand the magnitude of this problem,” he said.

Zameer refutes claims that farmers are having their land encroached upon

However, Zameer Ahmad Khan, Karnataka Minister for Waqf and Minority Affairs, disputed farmers’ claims that their land was being encroached upon. “I will give full details about how many notices have been served, no one can take back the land that belongs to anyone, especially farmers. Farmers are our feeders, how can anyone take the land that belongs to the farmers, maybe I am the minister, does that mean the officials can convert the land that belongs to the farmers?

Zameer slams BJP for using this issue in elections

He also criticized the BJP for using this issue for elections, saying, “They are only taking up this issue because there are elections. I am not doing Waqf adalat from today, I have been doing Waqf adalat for 11 months, we have done it. in Yadgiri, Hubli, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Karwar, Belagavi, Vijayapura, once elections are over, I will do Waqf adalt in other districts, they (BJP) have no problem, that’s why they don’t ‘have accepted this only for. politics, as elections are coming, Maharastra elections, they are talking about this issue now. I don’t want to speak their language, I am a pure Indian Hindusthani, who have always lived in India, are Indians.

The Waqf land controversy is the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP, with the chief minister clarifying that no farmer will be evicted.

Shivakumar accuses BJP of politicizing the issue

Meanwhile, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar accused the BJP of “politicizing the issue” and that directions have already been given to the Finance Ministry regarding the notices.

“The BJP is politicizing the issue (by going to Vijayapura). We are not affecting the farmers. Earlier also, during the BJP regime, advisories were issued. We are correcting it. We have given instructions to the revenue department , to the tehsildar, DC to reverse all the transfers that have been made in the RTC,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

The BJP alleged that Waqf’s name was added to the land records of 44 properties across Indi and Chadachan taluks in Vijayapura district without prior notice, following a meeting between Khan and district officials . Many farmers, unaware of the sudden changes in the Register of Rights, Rental and Crops (RTC), have expressed concern over the loss of their ancestral lands.