Karnataka: Parliamentary Panel Chief Meets Local Farmer Delegations Amid Row Over Waqf Land Claims

Jagdambika Pal, the Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee concerning the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, met with farmer delegations in Karnataka on Thursday (7 November) following allegations that some lands in the state were marked as Waqf properties without consent from the owners.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has described these actions as 'Land Jihad'.

According to Pal, his presence in Karnataka is part of a "fact-finding visit".

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who petitioned Pal to address the farmers’ grievances, had announced the visit on social media.

The visit includes Hubballi, Vijayapura, and Belagavi where he plans to meet with affected farmers and other stakeholders.

"The farmers of north Karnataka...they handed over one memorandum saying that a piece of land which was belonging to them, Waqf Board is claiming it is theirs," Pal told news agency ANI.

He added that some farmers claimed to have held these lands for "more than 50-70 years."

"Today, I joined JPC Chairperson Sri Jagdambika Pal in Hubballi to meet with local farmer delegations who are adversely impacted by recent Waqf Board claims on their ancestral lands. The farmers expressed concern that their land was designated as Waqf property without prior notice or due process. The JPC has been actively meeting with all stakeholders to understand all aspects of the existing law & the proposed amendments. We will also be meeting farmers from Vijayapura and Belagavi next," Surya said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar dismissed the BJP's 'land jihad' charge against the Congress government and protests over it as "political drama".

"BJP themselves started this in 2019. But my government is committed, we will not change any record... They are trying to put the blame on us," Shivakumar claimed.

Shivakumar argued that the parliamentary committee lacks authority to interfere in state land affairs, stating, “JPC doesn’t have any powers to enter; they might have come for their political purposes.”

BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje voiced her support of Pal's visit on Twitter, saying, "This ‘land terrorism’ must end! I request the Chairman to listen to our farmers and Swamijis and find a permanent solution."

The parliamentary committee is scheduled to visit multiple cities, such as Lucknow and Hyderabad, from 9 November to 14 November, to meet with stakeholders and prepare a report on the contentious issue.

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