Siddaramaiah orders withdrawal of Waqf notices to farmers | Latest news India

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A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting with senior officials of the revenue department, minority welfare department and the Board of Waqfs in Karnataka.

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“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued a strict directive for immediate withdrawal of all notices issued to farmers regarding Waqf land, stressing that no disruption should be caused to them,” the CMO statement said.

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The statement noted Siddaramaiah’s dissatisfaction over recent actions by certain officials and highlighted concerns that the opposition Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party may have used the Waqf issue for political gain, potentially peace in the state was disturbed. “Siddaramaiah has urged the public to disregard any misinformation and directed officials to handle the matter with sensitivity,” it added.

The statement also emphasized that all notices to farmers regarding land records related to Waqf properties should be immediately withdrawn. Officials were instructed to avoid harassing farmers or causing problems regarding land they own.

The CM further directed that all unauthorized changes in land records (Pahani or RTC) without prior notice or legal proceedings should be immediately annulled.

The order came days after the protests, which started in Vijayapura and soon spread to Dharwad and Kalaburagi, over notices asking farmers to submit land records to prove ownership or else ownership would be transferred to the Waqf Board.

The meeting was attended by Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil, Finance Minister Krishna Byre Gowda and senior government officials. However, Minority Welfare and Waqf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan was not present. After the meeting, the CM urged the people of Karnataka to reject divisive politics and not fall for disinformation campaigns.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Home Minister G Parameshwar said, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued a clear directive to the deputy commissioners stating that no notices should be issued to farmers regarding Waqf Board properties. Any notifications already made must be immediately withdrawn.”

“This closes the matter for now. How it will develop in the future remains to be seen. There will be no confusion as long as the registrations with the tax authorities and the Waqf board are aligned. Ultimately, income documentation takes precedence and is recorded as is. I assure you that the government will not take any adverse action against farmers,” he added.

Farmers were happy with the decision. “The government has taken the right decision at the right time,” said Channappa Gowda, a farmer in Chikkaballapura. “I was shocked when tax officials had introduced Waqf as registration of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTC) certificate on my five acres of land. This is my ancestral property,” he said.

Farmers’ organizations will meet soon to decide on the next course of action, according to people familiar with the matter.

However, the BJP called it ‘appeasement politics’. “The state government is doing appeasement politics just for votes, the BJP is preparing to hold state-wide agitation in all district headquarters on Monday,” said BJP state unit spokesperson M. Karunakar. “The government’s only aim is to strengthen Waqf administration by grabbing land from Hindus. Everyone knows that 90% of farmers’ land is ancestral, how can Waqf claim ownership,” he asked.