"Govt attempted to use Waqf issue as shield to cover up its scandals": Union Minister Kumaraswamy

Channapatna (Karnataka) [India], October 31 (ANI): Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday alleged that the Congress government has brought the Waqf issue to the forefront as a diversionary tactic to deflect attention from the MUDA and Valmiki scandals.
Speaking to the media during his election campaign, Kumaraswamy said, "The government is engaging in divisive politics, pitting communities against each other. One community is being appeased while another is targeted. Such disgraceful politics is being practised by the Siddaramaiah government."
He further stated that the state government is directly responsible for the Waqf issue, saying, "To cover up its scandals, the government has attempted to use the Waqf issue as a shield."
According to the Union Minister, this could lead the state into major conflict, which the Congress government may exploit for political gain.
"The Congress government always acts swiftly when serious allegations are raised against them. They devise elaborate tactics to divert attention, and that's exactly what they are doing now," Kumaraswamy charged.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that Waqf's name was added to land records for 44 properties across Indi and Chadachan taluks in Vijayapura district without proper notice, following a meeting between Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and district officials. Many farmers, unaware of the sudden Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops (RTC) mutations, have expressed concern over losing ancestral land.
Earlier today, former Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai alleged misuse of Waqf laws in the state and demanded that the government withdraw the notices issued to farmers and thoroughly examine state records to ensure justice for them.
He claimed that revenue laws are being ignored to unjustly classify farmers' agricultural lands across the state as Waqf properties.
The BJP MP further blamed the government for conflicts in villages like Kadakol in Savanur Taluk, asserting that the government is disrupting rural harmony with an agenda of appeasement, leading to communal discord. (ANI)