One of the clearest signs that the BJP government in Karnataka is conflicted between letting right-wing Hindutva groups set the political agenda in the state and preserving communal harmony is the actions of the government in an ongoing tussle for control of a 2.5-acre Idgah Maidan in Bengaluru, which has been under the control of the Karnataka Wakf Board.
With right-wing Hindutva groups like the Sri Rama Sene, Bajrang Dal and others threatening to hoist the Indian national flag at the Idgah Maidan at Chamarajpet on Independence Day this year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike – which is under the control of the BJP government – declared itself as owners of the revenue land on August 6, 2022, by suggesting that the Wakf board had failed to register the land in its name despite holding congregational rights over it since 1965.
On Independence Day, the state revenue department itself hoisted the national flag at the Idgah Maidan for the first time with the support of local Muslim and Hindu groups. At the time it had seemed that the conflict over the land had been addressed by the BJP government with the move to take over the land.
With the Hindu festive season – beginning with Ganesh Chathurthi on August 31 – appearing on the horizon, the dispute over the Idgah Maidan was reignited through a challenge by the Wakf board to the BBMP’s claim on the land amid demands by small right-wing groups for the BBMP to allow them to host the Ganesh festival at the property.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com . Read the full story here