Joshi accuses Congress govt. of resorting to appeasement politics at the cost of farmers

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi accuses Congress of appeasement politics, tampering with revenue records for Waqf Board ownership.

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi has accused the Congress of resorting to appeasement politics at the cost of farmers lives.

Speaking to presspersons in Dharwad on Tuesday, Mr. Joshi accused the Congress government of tampering with revenue records to enter the name of Waqf Board as the owner of farmland and thereby, causing grave injustice to the people.

He said that in 2013, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre gave powers to the Waqf Board to such an extent that even the Supreme Court had no authority to question the Waqf Board’s notifications. He pointed out that no other religious institution enjoyed such power.

Mr. Joshi said that the name of Waqf Board as owner of farmland has been entered in the revenue records by the revenue officials on the oral instructions of Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan and now because of the backlash and the ensuing bypolls, notices are being withdrawn.

On Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner asking farmers to produce documents to prove their ownership, Mr. Joshi demanded punishment to the Deputy Commissioner and his staff for tampering with the records.

He said that although several Muslim leaders have encroached upon Waqf propery, no steps have been taken to recover such land.

Emphasising the need for abolition of the Waqf Act, he said that the BJP-led NDA government is bringing in amendments to the Waqf Act but the Congress is opposing it for the sake of appeasement.