BJP MLA leaves meeting amid row over Waqf land comments

Bagalkot: In a sudden turn of events, Bijapur City MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal stopped midway through his speech and left a program at Allamaprabhu Temple in Terdal, Bagalkot district after attendees raised strong objections to his comments on Waqf land. A video capturing the incident has now gone viral on social media.

The event took place on Monday where Yatnal’s speech was interrupted after he referred to a land claim by the Waqf board. His comments immediately sparked reactions from several audience members seated to his right, who called on him not to introduce political issues into the meeting. When Yatnal questioned whether his comments were indeed political, he was met with the response: “What is this then?”

Highlighting the temple’s varied support, onlookers noted that donations came from multiple communities, with a prominent contribution of Rs 6 lakh reportedly made by an individual from a different religious community. In response to these objections, Yatnal stopped speaking and left the stage, despite attempts by some attendees to encourage him to continue.

The incident has drawn criticism from several quarters, with Muslim community leaders condemning Yatnal’s choice to raise a divisive topic at a religious venue. K. Ashraf, former mayor of Mangaluru and president of the Dakshina Kannada Muslim Okkuta, noted: “The public’s reaction underlined their rejection of what they saw as an attempt to sow division. Such comments have no place at a community event.”

The incident has fueled ongoing debate in Karnataka, with many calling on public figures to exercise greater caution in sensitive, multicultural environments.