The protests by around 610 families from Munambam coastal village in Kerala’s Ernakulam district against the Waqf Board’s claim on their land have raised major concerns for both the CPI-M-led-LDF and the Congress-led UDF, with the influential Catholic community coming openly opposing their stance on the issue.

The Church’s sharp criticism of legislators for unanimously passing a resolution in the Assembly against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, brought by the Union government, while the people of Munambam were protesting against the Waqf Board’s claim on their land, has put both the CPI-M-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF in a difficult situation. In this context, the BJP is trying to cash in on the resentment of the people in the Christian-dominated region against the ruling CPI-M-led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF.

Amid the intensifying election campaigning in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency and the Palakkad and Chelakkara Assembly segments, the Catholic church has taken a strong stance against both the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF for their lackadaisical attitude towards the families facing the threat of being thrown out from their abodes following the Waqf Board’s claim over their land.

The BJP recently received a boost from the Catholic church, which praised the saffron party in its mouthpiece, Deepika, for bringing in the Waqf Amendment bill. The paper also criticised the LDF and the UDF for unanimously passing a resolution in the Kerala Assembly against the bill. The editorial clarified the church’s political stance by taking a strong position against the UDF and LDF concerning the Waqf Bill and the Munambam issues. It stated that both political fronts, which backstabbed the Munambam victims of the Waqf Bill and those who support them, are essentially pushing people to support the BJP.

The editorial also highlighted the betrayal of the UDF and LDF in their promises to assist the victims of Munambam while upholding the Waqf Act, which is said to enforce Sharia law. It compared the impact of the situation to the terrorism surrounding the incident where a teacher’s hand was cut off, suggesting that the events in Munambam will forever alter Kerala’s political landscape. “This is not a threat but rather the survival politics of the victims,” the editorial stated.

The editorial further asserted that the time has come to address the political injustice of depriving the 600 families of Munambam of their rightful property through barbaric laws and kangaroo courts. It described the developments in Munambam as a tragic lesson that mirrors similar tragedies across the country. The Waqf Act of 1995, it says, is a ‘curse’ that was forced upon the nation by the Narasimha Rao government.

Pointing to Section 40 of the Act, it explained that the Waqf Board can claim ownership of any property it believes belongs to it, bypassing existing registration laws. According to the editorial, even the High Court has limited power to intervene under current law, leaving those with grievances to seek redress solely through Waqf Tribunals.

Union Minister of State for Petroleum Suresh Gopi recently met the 610 families of Munambam village who are protesting against the Waqf board’s claim over their land. He assured them that the central government was committed to resolving the issue. Suresh Gopi said that the Narendra Modi-led government will resolve their problems. “All Waqf encroachments across the country will be resolved once the Waqf (Amendment) Bill is passed in Parliament and signed into law,” he added.

Speaking to The Statesman, BJP leader Shone George said that the Narendra Modi government has introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2024, to remove provisions in the Waqf Act of 1995 that grant Waqf boards and Waqf tribunals powers beyond the Constitution. He criticised the Congress and CPI-M for claiming that the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, is against minorities, arguing that issues in Munambam and similar areas have exposed the hollowness of their allegations. “The bill addresses the problems faced by people due to the unreasonable claims of the Waqf Board over lands that were legally possessed,” he said.

Joseph Benny, a resident of Munambam facing eviction from his land, said that his family, along with others, has lived there for many generations and acquired the land through legal means. “It was the Waqf Act of 1995 that created this issue. We are pleased with the BJP for amending the law. The CPI-M-led LDF government is backing the Waqf Board’s claims that it is Waqf land, which we cannot accept,” Benny said.

In this connection, the UDF is trying to defend itself by blaming the LDF government for the plight of the people, mostly fishermen. Meanwhile, the LDF is trying to appease the agitators by assuring them that their claims over the land will be protected, even if the outcome of the ongoing legal case does not align with their interests.

The Munambam issue started in 2019 when the Waqf Board claimed that the land was Waqf property, donated to Farook College in Kozhikode by Siddique Sait in 1950. In 2022, the families were told that they could not pay land tax on their properties.

Following this, the Kerala government intervened and allowed them to pay the tax. However, a forum called Waqf Samrakshana Samathi (Waqf protection forum) challenged this decision in the Kerala High Court, which subsequently stayed the Kerala government’s ruling. The case is currently pending before the High Court.