The ruling Congress in Karnataka is accused of appeasement politics over its decision to allot 2,750 acres of government land for Muslim burial grounds. The Siddaramaiah government which is already facing the heat over the state Wakf Board issuing notices allegedly to reclaim the lands belonging to farmers, temples, schools, legislators and private individuals in the state, finds itself in a tight spot as pro-Hindu groups have dubbed the move as “unfair” and “minority appeasement”.
Last April, then deputy chief secretary had directed the revenue secretary to examine the 328 proposals seeking land for ‘khabrastan’ and allocate 2,750 acres of government land or private land (after acquisition) across the districts of Bengaluru, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan and Udupi.
During the review meeting of the state level task force on Wakf properties, the revenue department was directed to modify the khata (land record) of 21,767 properties to “wakf” and update the same in the “Bhoomi” app.
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Meanwhile, the pro-Hindu activists have demanded to know why the long pending demand to regularise the Hindu temple lands has fallen on deaf ears. Over 34,000 temples (C-category) built on government land have sought transfer of ownership rights of the land to the temple administration.
“The Congress government is giving preferential treatment to minorities for the sake of votes. Why can’t the Wakf board which owns more than 1.2 lakh acres provide land for the Muslim burial grounds?,” said Sharan Pumpwell, a pro-Hindu activist.
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According to Wakf minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, the state Wakf board owns 1.20 lakh acres of land, but only 23,000 acres are free of encroachment. The minister who conducted Wakf adalats and directed the officials to issue notices to ”reclaim” the encroached Wakf lands, earned the wrath of not only the aggrieved landowners and the opposition parties, but also his partymen as the Wakf Board has issued notices to farmers, temples, schools, government buildings, lands owned by politicians and also historical monuments.
The farmers in north Karnataka districts have set the November 25 deadline to rectify the land records that have been modified as “Wakf properties”. The BJP and the JDS are preparing to launch a massive agitation across the state, and plan to raise the issue in the winter session of the Legislature that begins on December 9 at Belagavi.
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