Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 20: The state BJP leaders have set a deadline of 15 days for the state government to entrust report on Wakf property misappropriation to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation, failing which, they have warned of launching state-wide agitation.

BJP has been insisting that Wakf minister Zameer Ahmed Khan had promised to hand over report by former state minorities commission chairman, Anwar Manippady, to CBI for investigation at the legislative council. The party says that the report has exposed misappropriation to the tune of 27,000 acres of Wakf land valued at over Rs 2 lac crore.

Kota Srinivas Poojary

In a press meet held at the BJP office at Malleshwaram here on Thursday that was addressed by leader of the opposition in the council, Kota Srinivas Poojary, former chairman of state minorities commission, Anwar Manippady and MLC N Ravikumar, who also is the state general secretary of the party, the party launched verbal tirade against the state government on this issue.

Srinivas Poojary accused the government of hesitating to table the said report before the house. He said that the report has mentioned about involvement of a number of politicians in the scandal involving Wakf property, adding that 27,000 acres of land valued at over Rs 2 lac crore has been swindled. He warned of launching agitations all over the state if the government fails to meet this demand, and held chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy responsible, for the repercussions of this agitation.

He noted that minister, Zameer Ahmed Khan, who initially said he had no objection to subject this report to CBI inquiry, had later backtracked by claiming that the matter was sub judice. He warned of moving breach of privilege motion in the next session if the minister fails to keep up his promise, as this falls under that category."Congress might be afraid that heads of several of its leaders might roll, but JD(S) has no such fear. Therefore, he demanded the report to be handed over for CBI inquiry. He felt that minister, Khader must have advised Zameer to change his stand on this issue.

Anwar Manippady said that the report having 7,000 pages had been handed over to the government on March 26, 2012 and that during the BJP government, it was discussed in the cabinet and decided to be tabled before both Houses. He said that by passing certain bills in 2013, state and district committees had been formed to take back the Wakf properties taken over by others, duly asking the people having complaints to approach the committee, not courts. He said that after his term ended, several things happened which effectively reversed earlier decisions. He said that the Upa-Lokayukta had investigated the report and sent his report to the government, which too was not tabled in both the Houses. He urged that this report should also be brought before the Assembly and Council.