Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
Hubballi:Former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai said the matter of the Waqf Board issuing notices to farmers in the state has been brought to the attention of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to review amendments to the Waqf Act.
Speaking to the media after meeting JPC Chairperson Jagdambika Pal along with a delegation of BJP leaders in Hubballi on Thursday,he said that farmers,hospitals, schools,and the Kaginele Math in various taluks, including Savanur in Shiggaon of Haveri district,have been served notices by the Waqf Board.
This issue has been raised with the JPC Chairperson. Notices have been issued not only in Haveri district but also in Dharwad,Bijapur,Koppal,Gadag,and Mandya, Mysuru districts in the old Mysore region.
The problem has escalated due to the misuse of the Waqf Act,and this has been brought to the committee’s attention.
The JPC will include the ground reality in its report and present it to the House for amendments to the Act,he added.
The BJP MP said the Waqf Adalat was hastily conducted, and before any amendments to the Waqf Act could be made by the central government,an attempt was made to convert farmers’ land into Waqf property.
Not just Hindu farmers,but Muslim farmers too have been served notices,resulting in widespread discontent among the farming community.
He also accused the state government of abusing its power, with ministers and MLAs participating in the elections and misusing authority through officials while allowing the flow of money during the elections.
Union Minister,V.Somanna,Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council,Chalavadi Narayanswamy,Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly,Aravind Bellad,MLA,Mahesh Tenginkai,former MP Pratap Simha, and several other leaders were present.
