Waqf Row: JPC Chairman Visits Karnataka; Congress Slams the Move

Jagdambika Pal, Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), visited Karnataka on Thursday to investigate the ongoing Waqf land dispute. Pal met with farmers in north Karnataka, who claim the Waqf board is asserting ownership of lands they have cultivated for up to 70 years.

Pal stated, “Farmers have submitted a memorandum stating that the Waqf board is laying claim to their land, which they say has been theirs for decades. I’ve asked whether they have legal deeds or ownership documents. The farmers claim they’ve owned the land for 50 to 70 years, yet the Waqf board is disputing their claim.” Pal added that he was in Hubballi to gather facts and would submit a report on the situation.

The JPC Chairman noted that the Waqf board was also claiming properties containing historical monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and he would investigate these claims as well.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed criticized Pal’s visit, accusing him of acting unilaterally and making a political move. “The entire JPC team should have visited, not just the chairman,” Jawed said, questioning Pal’s authority to make such decisions. He also stressed that the Karnataka government has already declared that the land would remain under state control and warned against politicizing the issue.

Karnataka Minister MB Patil also responded to the visit, calling it “political drama” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “The BJP is merely staging a political show. The deputy commissioner will provide all the necessary information if the JPC Chairman visits,” Patil said.