Sri Rama Sene to launch campaign seeking a ban on Wakf Board

Pramod Mutalik says the board is involved in land jihad as it has claimed an entire village in Tamil Nadu as its own property

Sri Rama Sene leader Pramod Mutalik said here on Monday that the sene activists will launch a campaign in the days to come to press the government to announce a ban on Wakf Board.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the house of slain BJP worker Praveen Nettaru near Bellare in Sullia taluk, he said that the Wakf Board is involved in land jihad.

“The Wakf Board has claimed an entire village in Tamil Nadu, including temple property, to be its own property. While the board owns the third largest property in the country after the Railways and the Military, in Karnataka, it owns the highest number of property. It has swallowed property of temples, workers and others through fraudulent means,” he said.

Mr. Mutalik also threatened to blacken the face of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai if he fails to fulfil the promise of providing a government job to a family member of Nettaru.

He said that even in the past, the government made such promises to the families of Paresh Mesta and Sharath Madiwala but did not fulfil them. If the Chief Minister fails to keep his promise immediately, thousands of people will have to sit in dharna in front of his house and also blacken his face, Mr. Mutalik said.

Mr. Mutalik demanded that the government book those accused in the Praveen Nettaru murder under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA). “We will not accept NIA probe. The Paresh Mesta (Hindutva activist) murder was handed over to NIA. But nothing happened. NIA did not even visit the house of Mesta. It is just an eyewash,” he said.

Stating that there are over 6,000 illegal churches in the State, he asked the authorities to let bulldozers run over them. “We will give you (the government) the list of illegal churches if you do not have it. They should be removed immediately,” he added.