BJP Alleges Waqf Land Entries Threaten Farmers' Rights in Karnataka

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday accused the Karnataka Congress government of jeopardising farmers' land rights by allegedly allowing Waqf references to be entered in land records, claiming the move has created uncertainty over ownership and livelihood.

Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka alleged that Waqf references have been entered in the Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (RTCs) of more than 1.8 lakh farmers , with the exercise reportedly set to expand to around three lakh RTCs across 31 districts .

In a post on X, Ashoka described the alleged exercise as an outcome of " appeasement and vote-bank politics " and questioned whose interests the government was protecting by "dragging farmers' lands into the Waqf controversy."

He said that if reports of the entries were inaccurate, the government should immediately clarify the facts. However, if the entries had indeed been made, it must explain why farmers were facing uncertainty over selling land, obtaining bank loans, and exercising ownership rights .

According to Ashoka, the alleged entries include 73,000 RTCs in Uttara Kannada, 48,000 in Dakshina Kannada, 38,000 in Shivamogga, 18,000 in Bengaluru South, and 17,000 each in Kalaburagi and Bagalkote .

The BJP leader demanded that the government immediately halt the exercise , review all disputed entries in farmers' land records, and issue a White Paper detailing the status of Waqf-related entries.

"The farmer's land and their rights must be protected. We will never allow farmers' land to be swallowed in the name of Waqf under any circumstances," Ashoka said.