Won't touch any temple on Waqf land, won't acquire farmers' land: Zameer

Belagavi: Fiercely defending the decision to issue notices on Waqf property encroachers, Housing and Minority Welfare Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan on Thursday promised that temples built on Waqf land would not be touched at any cost. 

The minister also tendered an unconditional apology for any of his remarks that hurt the people’s sentiments. 

He taunted the BJP, saying that the Congress was not like them, who go on searching for Shivalingas in mosques to secure its vote bank.

Replying to the debate on Waqf Properties in the Council, Khan also said that the government would not touch lands belonging to farmers.

“We are not here to take away land from temples or farmers. Our government is pro-farmer,” he said. 

“If they have included Waqf in the records by mistake, it will be set right,” Ahmed said. 

“If you (BJP) really want to protect people’s interest, do it from the bottom of your heart. Don’t be pretentious. You have been going after 200-year-old mosques to find Shivalingas. We are not like that. Our hearts are clean, we will not touch any temple even if some temple has come up on land belonging to Waqf,” he said.

BJP member S Keshavaprasad strongly rebutted him, saying, “Don’t even dream of touching any temple.” “We are  not like you,” Khan retorted. 

Khan said the government was only following norms, like it was done by previous governments.

“Be it in our time or the tenure of JD(S), BJP, etc. notices have been issued to encroachers,” he said.

He said the Waqf land controversy started only after a meeting in Vijayapura district, to which Bijapur City BJP lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal was invited.

“He launched a protest three days after this meeting with an intention to create fear. Prior to this meeting, I had held similar meetings in Bidar, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, Haveri and Yadgir districts, wherein BJP MLAs like Aravind Bellad had attended and had no objections,” he said, adding it was Yatnal who created fear by spreading lies.

The Waqf had 1.2 lakh acres of land in the state. But, after encroachments by various agencies, the Waqf Board is left with just 20,300 acres.

“Of these, over 17,000 acres are again encroached. We are trying to get these encroachments cleared. In 95% of the cases, encroachment is done by Muslims. The fight is among Muslims and not with other communities,” he clarified.