‘Prove land grab allegations or resign’: Mallikarjun Kharge tells BJP’s Anurag Thakur

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday demanded that Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur resign if he cannot prove his “wild” allegations of land grabbing – made against the Congress chief during a heated debate on the 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill a day earlier.

During the discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Thakur accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of exploiting waqf properties, meant for the welfare of the Muslim community, to build a political empire, India Today reported. He also claimed that Kharge had grabbed land in Karnataka, PTI reported.

The Lok Sabha passed the Waqf Amendment Bill after midnight on Thursday, following a 12-hour debate. The Bill seeks to curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Kharge called Thakur’s allegations of land grabbing “baseless and false”.

“My life has always been an open book, full of struggles and battles, but I have always upheld the highest values in public life,” Kharge said. “After almost 60 years in politics, I don’t deserve this.”

He added that the allegations had damaged his reputation.

“As a leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and as the Congress President, I am forced to stand up today and condemn Shri Anurag Thakur’s wild allegations,” he said....

Read more