Karnataka: Miffed Over Loss, Rebel Congress Candidate Yousuf Shariff Aka KGF Babu Demands 64 Masjids To Return Posted-Dated Cheques Worth Rs 17.30 Crore

Congress leader Yousuf Shariff, aka KGF Babu, who unsuccessfully contested as an independent candidate from Chickpet constituency in Bengaluru city, has asked 64 masjids to return cheques worth Rs 17.30 crore that he issued them in the run-up to the recently concluded state election.

Yusuf Babu reportedly gave the masjids posted-dated cheques for Rs 25 lakh and more. The date for withdrawal was after May 16.

Yusuf Babu, who was widely speculated to be the front-runner for securing Congress nomination from the Chickpet constituency, rebelled against the party after he was denied the ticket and decided to field R, V Devaraj to take on the sitting BJP MLA Uday Garudachar. The constituency has over 40,000 Muslim voters.

Garudachar managed to retain the seat by a margin of over 12000 votes by defeating Devaraj. Babu finished third, securing over little over 20000 votes.

Earlier this week, Yusuf Babu published an advertisement in a local Urdu daily stating that he got a ‘fatwa’ from a local maulvi and that donations, especially money from politicians, should not be spent on developing masjids and other welfare activities. Citing the Fatwa, Yusuf Babu requested the masjids to return his posted-dated cheques.

Criticising Yusuf Babu for making such a demand, Garudachar requested the Masjid committees to present the cheques in their respective banks. He said that if the cheques bounced, the committees should file cheating cases against Yusuf Babu. “I will stand by the committees in this regard,” he added.

One of the wealthiest politicians in the state, Yusuf Babu, has courted multiple controversies.

On April 19, Income Tax officials conducted a raid at the Bengaluru residence of Yusuf Babu as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected tax evasion. The Income Tax officials carried out raids at 50 other locations, including residences and properties connected to Yusuf Babu. In 2022, Yusuf Babu and one of his wives were questioned in a money-laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

In January 2023, Yusuf Babu was suspended from Congress over his remarks that the party would not win more than 80 seats in the Legislative Assembly elections. Despite his suspense, Yusuf Babu was optimistic about receiving the party nomination.

To increase his visibility in the constituency and position himself as the prime contender, Yusuf Babu engaged in various outreach activities, including distributing cash, cheques and household essentials among the residents.

Yusuf Babu announced grandiose plans to spend nearly Rs 350 crore from his personal funds to provide Rs 5,000 to each household in the constituency as part of his education and welfare scheme for five years (2022-2027). Yusuf Babu also promised free LPG cylinders to 23,000 homes, declared that he would build 3,000 houses and award 60,000 scholarships.

Miffed over the delay in securing Congress nomination, Yusuf Babu first decided to field one of his wives, Shaziya Tarannum, as an independent candidate from Chickpet. Tarannum declared assets worth a staggering Rs 1,622 crore in her election affidavit. (Yusuf has two wives -- Rukasana Taj and Shazia Tarannum and five children). Later Yusuf Babu himself jumped into the electoral fray.

Lost As Congress MLC candidate

Yusuf Babu shot to prominence after he made a sensational disclosure on the staggering scale of his wealth in the official election affidavit he filed as a Congress candidate for the Bengaluru Urban legislative council seat in 2021.

Yusuf Babu declared assets to the tune of Rs 1,743 crore (Rs 100 crore worth of movable assets and Rs 1,643 crore immovable),

In his affidavit, Yusuf Babu declared that he owned a hand watch worth Rs 1.10 crore and had 4.8 kg of gold, hundreds of acres of agricultural and non-agricultural land in and around Bengaluru worth Rs 1,593.27 crore.

Yusuf Babu had purchased a Rolls Royce Phantom car from Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan for Rs 2 crores. However, the transport officials later confiscated the vehicle for lack of documents.

Yusuf Babu lost in the legislative council election to the ruling BJP candidate.

Hailing from Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Yusuf Babu initially worked as a daily wager in the scrap material division of Bharat Gold Mines. When his father, who operated a small bakery, suffered losses, Yusuf Babu became an auto driver. Later, he took up the scrap business, which helped him make wealth.

Yusuf Babu, however, is believed to have amassed most of his vast fortunes through land transactions.