Mysuru: Upping the ante following allegations by farmers, educational institutions and Hindu Temples in certain parts of Karnataka that their lands were illegally marked as Waqf properties, the BJP staged Statewide protests this morning, accusing the ruling Congress Government of directing officials to take over lands that have been passed down through generations.

The Opposition party also demanded the sacking of Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan from the Cabinet. The BJP has decided to go ahead with the protests despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directing officials that all notices issued to farmers be immediately revoked and any unauthorised amendments in land records without due notice must also be nullified.

In Mysuru, BJP activists staged a protest in front of Deputy Commissioner’s Office on Bannur Road in Siddarthanagar as part of its Statewide agitation.

Addressing the protesters, State BJP OBC Morcha President Raghu R. Kautilya accused the Government of altering land records to classify farm land as Waqf property. He strongly condemned the State Congress Government for issuing notices to villagers across the State, claiming that their lands belong to the Waqf Board.

He demanded an immediate halt to the notices regarding alleged encroachments and called for the removal of Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan from the Cabinet. Raghu also insisted that the Government must issue a Gazette notification to withdraw the notices  to farmers.

State BJP Minorities Morcha President Dr. Anil Thomas added that the Government should cease altering farmers’ land records. “The BJP urges the government to withdraw the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2013. The Waqf Board has been usurping farmers’ lands under the pretext of encroaching on Waqf properties,” he said.

“Farmers have cultivated their lands for centuries and the Waqf Board’s notices have come as a shock to them. Acting under the Minister’s direction, the Waqf Board has been illegally issuing these notices, which must stop. Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan should resign voluntarily, or the Chief Minister should remove him from the cabinet and banish him from the State,”  Dr. Anil Thomas asserted.

Earlier, hundreds of BJP workers gathered in front of the old Milk Dairy at Siddarthanagar on Bannur Road, protesting while holding placards denouncing the Waqf Board’s actions and shouting slogans against the Congress Government.

They later marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. The protesters are scheduled to submit a memorandum this afternoon seeking the withdrawal of the Waqf Board notices and the dismissal of Minister Zameer Ahmed.

The Police provided tight security around the Deputy Commissioner’s Office. City BJP President L. Nagendra, District President L.R. Mahadevaswamy, State BJP Vice-President M. Rajendra and party office-bearers Renuka, B.M. Raghu and Cable Mahesh took part in the protest.

BJP indulged in politicking: CM

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised the Opposition, accusing them of engaging in mere politicking instead of addressing pressing issues. He specifically targeted the BJP, claiming it was playing dirty politics by unnecessarily reviving the Waqf Board issue, which he deemed a non-issue.

Speaking to reporters at Hubballi Airport upon his arrival from Bengaluru this morning, Siddaramaiah, who will be campaigning for the Congress candidate in Shiggaon, asserted that most of the BJP’s allegations regarding Waqf Board notices to farmers were false and                                                        politically motivated.

Siddaramaiah revealed that the Waqf Board had issued as many as 216 notices to farmers while the BJP was in power, questioning why the party did not oppose it then.

“Now, with bypolls taking place in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna Assembly segments, the BJP has revived this issue solely for political gain. I have instructed officials to completely halt the issuance of notices to farmers and ensure that there are no changes in their land records. Given this situation, I can only conclude that the BJP has resorted to cheap political  gimmick,” he stated.