By TCN Staff Reporter,
Bangalore: The revelation of mega wakf land scam has turned the Karnataka assembly turbulent on Tuesday forcing the opposition parties like Congress and Janata Dal (S) to demand high-level probe into the revelation made by Karnataka State Minorities Commission. It is said that the report has named some Congress and JD(S) leaders for the scam.
Reaction to the demand of discussion in the house and proper probe, Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda said the report will be placed for discussions only after it is studied. Earlier, immediately after the report was submitted on Monday, the CM assured that the encroached land will be reclaimed and none will be spared for their involvement in the scam.
“The scam amount sums up to around two state budgets and the truth could be revealed only by deploying former Karnataka lokayuktha Justice Santhosh Hegdey, as this could make the investigations free of political influences”, said Sameer Ahmed Khan of Janata Dal (S).
Opposition leader Sidharamayya and Congress members NA Haris, Qamarul Islam demanded CBI inquiry in to the scam.
Congress members said that minority commission chairman Anvar Manippady should be punished if his report is later found false. Syed Yaseen of Congress opined that the report contains extraordinary elements as there are legal restrictions on selling Wakf property.
The Karnataka government-appointed Anvar Manippady committee on Monday submitted a 7000-page report on the scam to chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda. The report traced irregularities in the state’s Wakf properties since the year 1954 and it states that out of the 54,000 acre registered Wakf land within the state around 22000-27000 acres has been subjected to illegal encroachment — 85 % of these misused lands were found to be in Bangalore. Out of the total Rs four lakh crore Wakf board assets in Karnataka, the report says Rs 2.1 lakh crore worth properties have been subjected to scam.
The major irregularities took place in between 2001 and 2012 while the transfer of govt land to private parties was carried out through mutation. Though proper verification of documents was necessary to carry out such mutations, no such precautions were adopted, says the report.
Interestingly, many of the Congress and JD(S) leaders who have demanded probe into the scam are under cloud as per media reports.
Anvar Manippady on Monday told reporters that many politicians, middle men and land mafia are involved in the scam. Though he was not ready to name the politicians involved media reports say accusations are against around 38 Congress and JD(S) leaders. Reports say national leaders of Congress party including Rajya Sabha members, several Wakf board members, officials too are involved in the scam. There are unofficial reports that the 38 political leaders indicted in the report include Congress MLAs Roshan Baig, NA Haris, Tanveer Seth, Qamarul Islam Janata Dal (S) MLA Sameer Ahmed Khan, former union minister CM Ibrahim, former Karnataka Wakf minister HM Hindaskheri and former state minister Iqbal Ansari. Among these NA Haris and CM Ibrahim are Keralites. It is said that Ibrahim had earlier made a donation of 5 crore rupees to the Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliar’s upcoming Shaere Mubarak Masjid (Rs40 crore mosque about to be built in Kozhikode for preserving the ‘holy hair of Prophet Muhammed (SAW)].
However, it is said the minority panel probe report is part of a plot and being misused by BJP and RSS to trap eminent minority leaders within the Congress and Janata Dal (S) parties.