Waqf row: Ashok accuses Cong. of appeasement politics, pledges support to farmers

Leader of Opposition R. Ashok accuses Congress of appeasement politics, vows to protect farmers from waqf board notices.

Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Assembly R. Ashok on Monday accused the Congress of appeasement politics and said, the BJP will go all out to protect the interests of farmers and others who have been issued notices from the waqf board. The BJP will fight for the aggrieved families who are in a state of distress after having received the notices that claim their properties were of waqf, and warned the State government against taking any steps following the notices.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Ashok, who visited the families in Mysuru city after they received the waqf notices, said the Congress’ “conspiracy” has put the people in a state of worry and quandary on the fate of their properties following the notices. “Farmers are staging protests across the State over the notices. We are with the farmers, mutts, and whoever else has got the waqf notices,” Mr. Ashok stated.

Mr. Ashok said the State BJP has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene urgently and bring amendments to the waqf act at the earliest for saving farmers whose lands had been targeted.

Blaming the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2013 during the Manmohan Singh regime, he said the BJP has made it an issue despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement because the farmers are in distress and are on the streets fighting to protect their lands. “If the Chief Minister has clarified the issue, why are farmers staging protests,” he asked.

In response to a question that the notices had also been issued to farmers during the BIP rule in the State, Mr. Ashok alleged that Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan visited every district and warned officials to issue notices to farmers. “The officials are being threatened to issue notices by this government. The lands of the poor, farmers, Dalits, and others are being targeted. The notices had also been issued to temples, mutts, and even schools claiming that they were the waqf properties. This is nothing but Congress conspiracy and the step of appeasement politics,” he charged.

Mr. Ashok, who visited Muneshwara Nagar in the city that has 110 houses which have been issued notices, said the residents are living in fear and are fighting to save their properties, which they claim to be old properties. People have been living in these houses for many years and now they are staring at eviction, he stated.

The BJP leader said a mutt in the same locality had also been issued notice. To the same mutt, a grant of ₹60 lakh was sanctioned when the BJP government was in power for taking up welfare steps and helping the poor and downtrodden people. The same mutt is in crisis now because of the notice. “The Congress government’s conspiracy has not spared even mutts and temples,” he alleged.