Safeguarding Wakf property is imperative
Whenever Sangh Parivar cries of injustice being meted out to Hindus, one of the main accusations it levels is that the funds for ‘hindu temples are being diverted to minorities’. At the same time it also forgets the fact that there is a department of Wakf in existence, and a Wakf minister to take care of that.There is also a board that possesses highest share of land for a minority community, up to almost four lakh acre.
After Railway and Defence, Wakf holds the highest amount of land in the country. About 54,000 acres of land is in the possession of Wakf board in the state. And this property was not given to the Wakf board to appease the minority community, but this share of has over 800 years of history.
The kings, zamindars and rich people without heirs have consistently donated this land for the benefit of muslims. More than 3 lakh Wakf properties have been registered in the country. But the main question that continues to haunt even after five decades is; why all the property worth thousands of crores has not been utilized for the betterment of Muslim community? Leaders do not want to find answers for this.
Though there is nearly four lakh acres of land under Wakf board, this is in the possession of random persons and organisations. Outlook magazine has described this irregularity as the biggest land scam of India. The muslim leaders or religious heads are not showing any interest in this matter of illegal encroachment of land as much as they would focus on two and half acres of land. The community has been kept in dark over this matter.
According to sources, many prominent Muslim leaders are hand in glove with perpetrators of this crime. If a serious investigation is taken up, many Muslim leaders’ names would be out in the open. Hence, this scam remains under wraps. On one hand there is encroachment, and on the other there is large scale cheating in the name of lease. The Windsor Manor case is the best instance to understand how this hoodwinking happens.
Can one guess the rent the hotel has been paying for 1.65 lakh sq ft land it stands on? A mere Rs 1500! The hotel took this land on lease from Wakf board in 1973 for a period of 30 years. Eventually it was extended to 90 years. And the rent that is paid for this since 1970 remains unchanged. It is Rs 1500 then, and even now. The case is in the court right now. Not only this, many such cases are in the court and continue to languish there. W
hen Yeddyurappa government was in power, it used the Wakf cases to safeguard itself of the corruption charges. A committee headed by Anwar Manippadi was set up to prepare a report on the Wakf property irregularities. This was set up with Congress as the target and only for political reasons. Anwar Manippadi too, prepared a report that could please the BJP. Whatever be the reasons, that a report was prepared on Wakf land deals itself is a matter of solace for the Muslims. But since this was used only for political purposes, it lost its value. If BJP was any interested in dealing with corruption, the party would have handed over the corruption charges to CBI. At least the Congress government that subsequently assumed power, could have done this. But none took the next step.
As per the Manippadi report, more than half of the 54,000 acres of land, evaluated at 2.5 lakh crore has been encroached. This is a fact known to almost everyone. The report had suggested a judicial enquiry into the matter.
The Wakf Property Task Force in 1998 had recommended the illegal properties should be taken back into possession and a transparent higher level committee be formed. The Congress government had the power to hand over this case or start fresh investigation on this to understand the gravity of this property mismanagement. But this report was not even referred to because many Congress leaders’ names had figured in the report of having been party to the irregularity. There are no chances of any fresh investigation now, and the reason is more than evident now.
Now Wakf property mismanagement has been referred to, again in the session. Minister Zameer said this has to be handed over to the CBI, and quickly withdrew his words. The Muslims do not expect much from the new coalition government. But if the government can help the Wakf board recover its property and spend the proceedings for the benefit of poor Muslims, they would be more than grateful to the government. Is this too much to expect?
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Karnataka cabinet to take up caste census report amid internal opposition
Bengaluru (PTI): Amid what appears to be a caste conundrum, the Karnataka cabinet will hold a special meeting on Thursday to discuss the contentious Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, popularly known as 'caste census'.
According to official sources, the cabinet is considering referring the report to a cabinet sub-committee or an expert committee for further examination.
With Siddaramaiah already indicating that the report will be debated in both houses of the state legislature, sources said it may also be referred to a joint legislative committee. There is also the possibility of convening a special session of the legislature.
The cabinet is likely to deliberate on the report’s recommendation to increase OBC reservation in the state from the current 32 per cent to 51 per cent, sources said adding that the demand for a fresh survey or recounting may also come up.
Several communities, especially Karnataka's two dominant ones -- Vokkaligas and Veershaiva-Lingayats -- have voiced strong objections to the survey, terming it "unscientific". They have demanded that the report be rejected and a fresh survey be conducted.
Objections have also been raised by various sections of society, including from within the ruling Congress party.
However, not all voices are critical. Several leaders and organisations representing Dalits and OBCs among others are in support of it and want the government to release it, pointing out that about Rs 160 crore of public funds has been spent on the exercise.
Given the strong disapproval from the two politically influential communities, the report may turn out to be a political hot potato for the government, as it may set the stage for a confrontation with Dalits and OBCs among others demanding its release and implementation.
The survey's findings are said to be at odds with the "traditional perceptions" of the caste composition in Karnataka, especially the numerical strength of Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas, making it a politically sticky issue. Ministers from these communities are expected to voice their objections during the cabinet meeting, sources said.
Both Veershaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas and a few other communities have claimed that their sub-castes have been divided among different categories of OBC, resulting in a decrease in the population. They have alleged that many households were left out from the survey or undercounting.
Amid growing opposition to the survey report, the CM had on Wednesday assured that his government would not let any injustice happen to anyone.
After a long wait, the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes' report was placed before the cabinet for the first time on April 11.
The Siddaramaiah-led government (2013-2018) had in 2015 commissioned the survey in the state.
The State Backward Classes Commission, under its then chairperson H Kantharaju, was tasked with preparing a caste census report. The survey work was completed in 2018 towards the end of Siddaramaiah's first tenure as Chief Minister, and the report was finalised by his successor K Jayaprakash Hegde in February 2024.
