Political Pressure Forces Anwar Manippady to Change Stance on Waqf Matter: Deputy CM Shivakumar
Click to start listening
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 16 (NationPress) Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, expressed on Monday that the former Chairman of the State Minorities Commission, Anwar Manippady, is making a U-turn due to political pressure.
While addressing journalists at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, he remarked, “I have seen Anwar Manippady’s comments on social media. He claimed to have communicated with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Furthermore, the Chief Minister referenced his statements in a post on X. The records are all intact; he should release the documents before we proceed.”
This response came as he was questioned regarding Manippady retracting his previous statement.
When asked about the Chief Minister’s assertion that the investigation should be transferred to the CBI, he stated, “We have all the facts in front of us. If the CBI requests permission from the state government to investigate, we will consider it then. We are not planning to transfer this to the CBI. The BJP is aware of this, which is why they are demanding a CBI inquiry.”
On being asked about the confusion surrounding this issue, he indicated that the media is responsible for creating it.
“It is you who is generating the confusion. You reported on what Anwar said, and the Chief Minister referenced his statement in a post. Anwar has been compelled to issue a new statement to cover this up. The media should look into this matter,” he stated.
In response to Anwar’s claim that Congress leaders had attempted to bribe him, he commented, “He should have mentioned this earlier. What’s the point of saying it now? What one declares while in power holds more significance.”
On Sunday, Anwar Manippady denied the bribery allegations made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah against BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, asserting that Congress leaders had offered him bribes to suppress the Waqf encroachment report.
Manippady further added that if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah truly cared about Muslims, he should forward his report on Waqf encroachments to the CBI.
On Saturday, CM Siddaramaiah accused B.Y. Vijayendra of attempting to bribe the former Minority Commission Chairman with Rs 150 crore during the previous administration to conceal a probe into Waqf property encroachments.
Vijayendra confronted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday in the House, urging him to transfer the Waqf investigation to the CBI.
“In addition to the accusation against me of offering Rs 150 crore to the former Minority Commission Chairman to silence the issue, the encroachments of Waqf properties by Congress leaders must also be handed over to the CBI,” he demanded.
