JPC chief Pal to meet Karnataka farmers today over Waqf notices
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) constituted for mulling the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and BJP MP Jagdambika Pal will visit Vijayapura in Karnataka on Thursday. He announced the decision to visit Vijayapura and speak to the farmers there after a controversy arose over Waqf Board notices to growers. During his visit, Pal will hold a meeting with those farmers in Vijayapura district who got notices declaring their land as the property of the Waqf Board.
He will also address the issue of changing the land and revenue records of these properties to make the Waqf Board the owner of the property. BJP National Youth President and MP Tejasvi Surya had made an appeal in this regard to Jagadambika Pal and he had accepted his invitation to visit Karnataka. Tejasvi Surya had stated, “Chairman of JPC on Waqf has kindly consented to my request to visit Hubballi and Vijayapura districts on November 7 to interact with farmers affected by the Waqf’s predatory action. Chairman will interact with farmer organisations, Mutts and petitions given to him will be placed before the JPC.” There is a war of words going on between the BJP and the Congress government in the state over the notices to the farmers.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently stated that the state government had withdrawn notices issued to farmers by the Waqf Board and accused the BJP of carrying out politics over the issue. “I have clearly stated after meeting with Ministers H.K. Patil and Krishna Byre Gowda that the notices issued by the Waqf board should be withdrawn. The directions were also issued to cancel the changes made in land records,” CM Siddaramaiah stated. Speaking to reporters in Hubballi he added, “Regarding the Waqf matter, even after we clarified the BJP is carrying out politics. It is not because of the BJP’s protest that the notices to farmers were withdrawn. As soon as we came to know about the issue, we decided to withdraw notices.” Pal’s visit to the state is sure to result in political churnings in Karnataka.
