Amended Waqf Act not solution to Munambam residents' problems: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the amended Waqf Act was not the solution to the issues being faced by the residents of Munambam village and claimed that the BJP was connecting the two to create “a smokescreen for making political gains”.

Vijayan said that the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, while tabling the Waqf Amendment Bill had made it clear that it has no retrospective effect.

“Therefore, those claiming it will solve the problems of the Munambam residents should say which clause of the Act will help to do so. But they are not doing that.

“The BJP is using it to create a smokescreen in the hope of making some political gains. The people of Munambam will see through it,” he said in response to queries on the issue by reporters during a press conference here in the evening.

The residents, who are mostly Christians, of Munambam village in Ernakulam district have been agitating for the past several months, alleging that the Waqf Board is unlawfully claiming their land and properties, despite them having registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.

Vijayan said that the attempt to project the Waqf Act as a solution to the problems of the Munambam residents was “only an episode of the BJP’s Christian love drama”.

He said the recent attack on Christian priests in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh and reported assaults on members of that community in two other states were all carried out by Sangh Parivar organisations and some of them happened in the presence of police.

“All this indicates the Sangh Parivar stand towards the Christian community,” he said.

Vijayan also alleged that the RSS has identified three groups as its main enemies in the country and two of them, according to their own records, are Muslims and Christians.

He also referred to a recent article, which was later removed, in an RSS-linked publication which stated that the Catholic Church has more land than the Waqf Board, and said that it “showed the true colours” of the right wing organisation.

“The article came right after the Rajya Sabha passed the Waqf Bill,” he said and added, “we can all guess which will be the next Bill that is tabled in the Parliament”.

He further alleged that the BJP and central government stand was to betray the Christian community, especially those in the hilly regions, and this was evident from its lack of response to US President Donald Trump’s recent trade tariff decision which will adversely impact the coffee and rubber cultivators.

Vijayan alleged that the BJP has taken a stand of crawling on the knees before the US government on the issue.

“All this indicates that the BJP’s love for the Christian community is entirely fake. We need to realise that,” he added.

On the other hand, the Kerala government was obligated to resolve the issues of the Munambam residents and that has been its stand right from the start, he contended.

That is why the state government established a commission to study the issue and give a report, he added.