Govt will not remove temples built on Waqf properties, CM Siddaramaiah tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 18: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday assured the Karnataka Assembly that the government will not remove those temples which are built on Waqf properties.
In case notices have been served to them, then they will be withdrawn, he said.
During a discussion on the issue of the Waqf Board issuing eviction notices to farmers, temples and many other individuals, the Chief Minister said, "If temples have been built on Waqf properties then we will not remove them. I am making it very clear. In case any notice has been issued, they (notices) will be withdrawn."
As the raging Waqf issue echoed in the Assembly with the BJP raising it, the Waqf and Minority Affairs Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan clarified that if notices were given to farmers and temples then they will be withdrawn.
The Chief Minister too reiterated Khan's statement and said no farmer will be evicted from the land they have been tilling.
The BJP legislator Araga Jnanendra demanded that properties mentioned in government records as Waqf should also be removed as the mere withdrawal of notices will not serve the purpose.
The Leader of the Opposition BJP, R. Ashoka, justified the demand by saying that there were 110 Kuruba families in the Krishna Raja constituency, in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's home district of Mysuru, who have been running from pillar to post to get the notices removed. They have submitted several memoranda to Siddaramaiah, but to no avail.
He said there are hundreds of such instances where people face hardship by such notices.
Minister Khan reminded the BJP that it was in its manifesto in 2014 there was a promise to remove encroachment on Waqf properties.
The Chief Minister underlined the need to save the Waqf properties saying that there were 1.10 lakh acres of Waqf properties in the state which now reduced to just 20,000 acres due to various provisions of law such as the Inam Abolition Act as well as encroachment.
Jnanendra said, "We (BJP) too support saving the Waqf properties but our point is why notices were given now." Siddaramaiah said the situation was such that there was a need to save the properties and notices were given as there is a Central law for it.
The clarification was necessary now because a march was taken out from Bidar by the Vijayapura BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal from Bidar, he explained.
"There is a political split in the BJP but I won't discuss your internal matter," Siddaramaiah quipped.
He was referring to the differences between Yatnal and BJP state chief B Y Vijayendra. As a show of strength, Yatnal decided to take out a march from Bidar to Chamarajanagar with the support of 12 senior BJP leaders including MP and MLAs.
He accused the BJP of politicising the issue and reminded that despite the attempt to communalise the atmosphere in the state, the BJP lost the recent bypolls in all the three assembly segments, Channapatna, Sandur and Shiggaon.
Not satisfied by the explanation given by the Congress government, the BJP staged a walkout from the assembly.
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Some glitches can happen at any large event: Tharoor praises AI Summit
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday praised the AI Impact Summit, saying the first couple of days had gone "extremely well" and "some glitches" can happen at any "large event".
He said what has been impressive is the attendance of presidents, prime ministers, and world leaders who have come with a strong message of wanting to see a newly integrated world in artificial intelligence development.
While noting that the first couple of days went “extremely well” at the summit, Tharoor said there have been “some glitches” but such issues can happen at big events.
His remarks come a day after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi dubbed the ongoing AI Summit in Delhi a "disorganised PR spectacle" and alleged that Chinese products were being showcased there.
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior party leaders have also criticised the event, saying alleged mismanagement has resulted in "embarrassment" for the country.
Responding to a reporter's question after the launch event of his new book on Narayana Guru, Tharoor said, "Though I have not had the chance to go to the summit, I am speaking there tomorrow. From what I understand, these first couple of days have gone extremely well. There have been some glitches, some organisational things, these things happen in a large event."
"But by and large what has been impressive is the attendance... a number of presidents, prime ministers, and world leaders are here, and they've come with a strong message of wanting to see a newly integrated world in AI development, where the impact upon society would be the principle," Tharoor said.
"Preoccupation in India has clearly led the drive in this area," he added.
Asked about French President Emanuel Macron's remarks about procurement of Rafale jets by India and the Make in India component of the deal, Tharoor said as far as the French Rafale is concerned, parts of it are being manufactured in India.
That is a very important aspect of the deal because it is part of strengthening defence, but also increasing our self-reliance in the defence sector, he said.
"Defence is important for India not because we want to go to war, but because we don't want others to think that we are so weak that they can be tempted to go to war. It is a defensive defence literally, and that is what we are working for and I support the government on that,” he said.
On the upcoming film Kerala Story 2, Tharoor said the first film, Kerala Story, was a “hate-mongering film”.
“They were saying that thousands of people were converted, which is not true. I think there were around 30 such cases over a number of years. Ours is a very big country. If a case occurs here and there, it doesn't mean you should turn it into a big story and use it as propaganda,” Tharoor said.
“In our childhood, films like Amar Akbar Antony used to get entertainment tax exemptions,” he added.
