Hubballi, Oct 30 (IANS): Supporting the farmers’ protest against the alleged encroachment of lands by the Waqf Board, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi announced on Tuesday that he will join the ongoing protest in Karnataka’s Vijayapura city.
Farmers are on a sit-in protest in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Vijayapura, condemning the registration of thousands of acres of their farmland under the Waqf Board's name.
He said that he would visit the protesting farmers and join the protest tomorrow.
He has accused Congress and Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan of conspiring to intimidate the farmers and seize their lands under the guise of Waqf property.
He alleged that these leaders are working together to deprive farmers of their rightful lands.
The minister said that the protest would continue until the Waqf Board’s name is removed from farmers' land records.
He expressed his support, affirming that the fight will persist until justice is served to all farmers affected by this issue and a logical end is reached.
Joshi, further charged that the Waqf Board is carrying out "Land Jihad" in the state with the backing of the Congress government.
He alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has stooped down to this level for Muslim appeasement and vote-bank politics.
He claimed that by seizing lands under the pretence of Waqf properties, the Waqf Board is oppressing farmers, religious trusts, and common people across the state.
The Congress government is responsible for this kind of “appeasement politics,” he stated.
The minister further alleged that the Siddaramaiah government is supporting Islamic fundamentalists, which, according to him, is why the Waqf Board is confiscating farmers' lands wherever it wants.
“The lands, cultivated by farmers for 40-50 years, are being seized on the grounds that they were once prayer sites. The Congress has empowered the Waqf Board with such authority,” Joshi blamed.
He said that the Deputy Commissioner of Vijayapura is accused of converting lands held by farmers and religious trusts into Waqf properties.
"Why should farmers provide documents to rectify this? It was your mistake; you fix it," he demanded.
He added that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister for Waqf Zameer Ahmad Khan, and other key ministers have a greater role in this issue than just the Deputy Commissioner.
He further claimed that Tahsildars and officials have even altered farmers’ land records to support the Waqf claims.
He said that the Tehsildar and other officials who handed over farmers' lands to the Waqf Board should similarly offer their own homes and lands to the Waqf.
He further attacked the Congress, alleging that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh granted the Waqf Board "supreme powers" in 2013 to secure the Muslim community as a vote bank.