‘No farmer will be evicted from their lands’: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Waqf lands

Amidst the alleged controversy regarding the grabbing of Waqf lands in Karnatakaa, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday assured that no farmer will be evicted from their land.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.(PTI)

“No farmer will be evicted from their land and if they are issued notice, they will be withdrawn,” he said.

He made these remarks while replying to media queries regarding notices sent to farmers in Vijayapura, Yadgir and Dharwad districts claiming that their land belongs to the Waqf Board.

The CM also mentioned that Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Vijayapura District In-Charge Minister MB Patil and Wakf Minister Zameer Ahmed together addressed a press conference yesterday to clarify the matter.

The Karnataka BJP spokesperson, however, refused to buy the government’s arguments, saying it was anti-poor.

“A huge controversy erupted when farmers in Vijayapura displayed their RTC certificate where it was mentioned as waqf property. Karnataka minister MB Patil who belongs to Vijayapura denied and said that BJP is politicizing… now government is trying to do damage control. The government is anti-farmers and to protect their vote banks, they will not hesitate to sacrifice farmers’ land to the Waqf board,” he said.

Notably, three Karnataka ministers on Monday asserted that the Waqf Board had no intention of acquiring land for farmers. Revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Waqf minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and Vijayapura district in-charge minister MB Patil accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicizing the issue for electoral gains.

In a joint statement, the three Karnataka ministers stressed that legitimate land owners need not fear losing their land. Minister Gowda informed that Vijayapura district has 14,201.32 acres designated as Waqf land.

Political tensions between the BJP and the Congress in Karnataka are rising amid allegations that the Waqf board’s name was added to the property records without notification.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister MB Patil added that a task force headed by the District Commissioner has been formed to investigate the matter, with instructions to cross-reference the Waqf and revenue records from 1964 to 1973 for accuracy.

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

“We don’t want any land owned by farmers. I am also a farmer’s son. Our aim is simply to update the Waqf land records. Only 11 acres in Honavada is Waqf property, contrary to claims of 1,200 acres. Beyond these 11 acres. , the rest belongs to the farmers,” said Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan.