Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara responded to the BJP’s allegations regarding Waqf notices, stating that more such notices were issued during the tenure of the previous BJP government.
He pointed out that while the BJP is planning a statewide agitation over the issue, the truth about the matter has now come to light, revealing that notices were issued on approximately 2,900 acres of land during the leadership of former Chief Ministers B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, as opposed to just 300 acres during the Congress government’s tenure under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Parameshwara questioned the BJP’s stance on the issue, asking how they could now claim to oppose such actions when they were responsible for issuing far more notices. He also remarked that BJP leaders like MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who are leading the awareness campaign, are inadvertently causing discomfort within their own party by highlighting the larger number of notices issued under the BJP’s rule.
The Home Minister further clarified that while in the Opposition, Congress was unaware of the notices issued to farmers, but now that the issue has come to their attention, they are addressing it carefully. Parameshwara also responded to criticism from BJP MLC C.T. Ravi regarding Congress statements on EVM malfunctions, asserting that the party has consistently raised concerns over the selective misuse of EVMs, which has been an issue discussed since 2014.
He emphasized that this is not a new claim and that similar concerns had been raised in past elections, including in Maharashtra. The Home Minister also dismissed remarks by Congress MLA C.P. Yogeshwara, who claimed that he could bring all JD(S) MLAs to the Congress within a month, stating that such claims were unnecessary as the Congress government is stable with 138 MLAs and does not engage in practices like the BJP’s “Operation Lotus” to lure MLAs.
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