BJP urges Kerala MPs to support Waqf Bill; CPI(M), IUML oppose it

Thiruvananthapuram/Madurai | As the ruling CPI(M) and the IUML, a key member of the Congress-led UDF, in Kerala on Wednesday indicated their opposition to the Centre's Waqf Amendment Bill, the BJP unit in the state urged the MPs from Kerala to support the legislation.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan made it clear that the party MPs will vote against the Bill in the Parliament.

Taking a similar stand, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) supremo Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said that all secular parties have decided to oppose the Bill in the Parliament.

He also said that if the Bill was passed, Muslim League would challenge it in the courts.

IUML's national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said that the legislation was dangerous as it was not going to affect the Muslim community alone.

"Tomorrow they (Centre) will seize properties of other minority communities. Therefore, we have to see it in a larger perspective," he said while speaking to reporters at Malappuram.

Kunhalikutty said that the Bill was not required to address the Munambam issue as it can be resolved by the Kerala government.

In Cherai and Munambam villages in Ernakulam district, residents have alleged that the Waqf Board was unlawfully laying claim to their land and properties, despite the people having registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.

As the CPI(M) and the IUML opposed the Bill, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar urged the MPs from Kerala to support the legislation.

He said that the Bill was not against any community and that it will help to solve the problems being faced by the people of Munambam.

"I make this request to support the Bill on behalf of the people of Munambam. If they (Kerala MPs) do not support the Bill, the people will realise that they are still doing appeasement politics," Chandrasekhar said in Thiruvananthapuram.

His statement came amidst marches by the BJP to residences of the Kerala MPs across the state in protest against their opposition to the Bill.

Chandrasekhar said that the protest marches were aimed at exposing the "hypocritical politics" of the opposition.

Meanwhile, Islamic scholar and Samastha leader Abdul Samad Pookkottur said that the Bill has no connection with the Munambam issue.

He claimed that it was being connected to the Munambam issue only for political gains and to disrupt the harmony in the state.

Earlier in the day, Govindan told media on the sidelines of the 24th party congress being held in Madurai, that from April 2 to 6, brushed aside the stand taken by the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) on the issue, saying it will not affect the party's view on the matter.

"Let there be no doubt, we will take a stand against the Waqf Bill. We have already made our stand clear. We do not keep changing our stand based on what others are saying. We have a clear stand," he said.

This stance comes amid protests from the Catholic Church, criticising MPs from Kerala for their position on the bill which was tabled in the Parliament during the day.

Govindan said that the legislation was not in favour of the Waqf. "Instead, it strongly opposes the Waqf".

He claimed that some forces were attempting to create conflict between various communities.

The Church-run daily Deepika, in its editorial a day ago, had described the Waqf amendment bill as a crucial test of secularism in Parliament and cautioned MPs from the state that failing to support it would mark them in history as endorsing religious fundamentalism.

The paper has added that it will also put an end to the injustices faced by thousands of Hindu, Christian, and Muslim citizens who have suffered due to the Waqf law.

Opposition parties are strongly opposed to the bill, slamming it as "unconstitutional" and against the interest of the Muslim community. Several leading Muslim organisations have been rallying support against the bill, which was scrutinised by a Joint Committee of Parliament and approved with several amendments