Vijayapura, Nov 5 (IANS): Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal participated in an indefinite strike at Vijayapura city in Karnataka over the Waqf properties row.
Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment Karandlaje said, "Attending a relentless day and night protest in Vijayapur against unjust Waqf decisions targeting our farmers with land notices. Our stand against this 'land jihad' is resolute. We will not back down in defending farmers rights and fighting against this 'land terrorism'."
The protest has been organised in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office in Vijayapura under the leadership of MLA Yatnal.
Hundreds of farmers, BJP leaders and activists were participating in the indefinite strike.
The indefinite strike is organised demanding nationalisation of the Waqf property.
The demands include: The properties of farmers should not be marked as property of Waqf in land and revenue records; cancellation of Waqf Tribunal and Waqf Adalats should not be conducted; All Waqf notifications of 1974 and later should be immediately cancelled.
The demands also include, "The Deputy Commissioners should not issue notices to farmers and the notices which have already been issued must be withdrawn; the government should get all revenue generated by the Waqf board; the properties of temples, mutts, religious institutions must be cleared from being marked as Waqf property; initiation of legal action against government officers who made entries in land records, claiming it to be property of Waqf; nullification of the Waqf Act."
Karnataka BJP staged a state-wide protest on Monday condemning the Congress government's move to change land and revenue records of farmers, Hindu temples and religious institution's properties and naming them as Waqf property.
In a damage control mode, CM Siddaramaiah had announced that the notices to farmers by the Waqf board would be withdrawn and no will be vacated.
The chief minister had also assured that the land records would be rectified. However, the BJP claimed, "The Congress was planning to hand over 10,000 acres of land in every district of the state to the Waqf board."