‘Nobody can take nobody’s land’: Congress leader Zameer Ahmed Khan on Tejasvi Surya’s Waqf allegations | Bengaluru

Amid the ongoing waqf land issue in Karnataka, state minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan on Saturday slammed BJP MP Tejasvi Surya because he accused Congress of misusing it Waqf Boardhis powers, accusing the BJP of politicizing the issue.

This comes after farmers in Vijayapura district received eviction notices from the Karnataka Waqfs Board on their ancestral lands.

Responding to Surya’s claims, Khan told ANI, “The local MLAs did not attend the DC meeting and now after three days they are making allegations. Waqf has 1,12,000 acres of land in Karnataka but only 23,000 acres are under them. This means we are dealing with the matter legally… They (BJP) just need an excuse. We consider farmers as God.

What Tejasvi Surya said

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), alleged that the Waqf Board’s permission to grab public and government land legally has created hardship for farmers and common people.

“The Waqf report itself mentioned the ground that influential Congress leaders took in the name of Waqf,” wrote Tejasvi Surya.

He alleged that the powers given to the Waqf board have resulted in over 15,000 acres of agricultural land belonging to farmers being claimed as Waqf land in Vijayapura district.

“Karnataka Minority Affairs Minister Shri @BZzameerKhan recently met the revenue officers of certain districts and instructed them to register the properties claimed by the Waqf Board within 15 days. The Congress government in Karnataka has prioritized minority appeasement over governance and has failed to protect the rights of farmers in Vijayapura and across the state,” said Surya.

He also issued a warning, saying, “If any government officer acts outside the law by grabbing farmers’ land or tries to fraudulently alter revenue entries, we will not spare them and take legal action in all possible ways . This is our insurance for farmers.”

The Waqf Board is a governing body responsible for overseeing and managing properties designated for charitable purposes in accordance with Islamic law.

Established under the Waqf Act 1995, the board plays a crucial role in ensuring that these properties are used effectively and benefit the community. However, issues such as land encroachment and ownership disputes often arise, leading to tensions between various stakeholders, including farmers and local authorities.

(Also read: Waqf land issue: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara says the state government will review it)

(With ANI entries)