Waqf Amendment Act impact

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of the passing of Waqf Amendment Bill in both Houses of Parliament, the Kerala unit of BJP received a shot in the arm with 50 people in Munambam in Ernakulam district joining the party on Friday.

The people who joined BJP are those who have been agitating in Munambam against the Waqf claim over their residential properties. Over 600 families are on an indefinite agitation for over 150 days demanding revenue rights.

The Munambam residents joined the party in the presence of the newly appointed BJP state president Rajeev Chandrashekhar. The BJP had campaigned extensively stating that one of the major reasons for bringing the Waqf amendment was the plight of the residents of Munambam.

The BJP claimed that the new legislation is capable of bringing an end to the crisis faced by the Munambam residents. The BJP state president said the event was a big moment in Kerala politics. “This is a befitting reply to the elected people's representatives from the state who had ignored the demands of Munambam residents. We will ensure that the people here get their revenue rights restored, ” he said.

The BJP claimed that more people from the area would become part of the BJP in the coming days.

The ruling CPM and the opposition Congress in Kerala have rejected BJP's claim that the Waqf amendment bill contained provisions to resolve the Munambam issue.

Industries Minister and CPM leader P Rajeev said the Act applied only to Waqf properties owned by the government. “As the Act will be implemented without any retrospective effect, properties owned by private individuals were exempted. The Centre is misleading Christians by claiming that the Waqf Act was introduced for their benefit,” he added.

Opposition leader V D Satheeshan of the Congress said the Waqf Amendment Bill is part of the Sangh Parivar agenda to harm the rights of a religious community. With the Centre itself clarifying that the Bill has no retrospective effect, he sought to know from the BJP leaders as to how it will help the Munambam people.

Munambam issue

Families affected in Munambam have not been allowed to pay property tax in accordance with the board's direction to the revenue department.

This 400-acre land, occupied by the fishing community since the 1980s, originally belonged to the Travancore Royal Family.

It was leased out to a trader named Abdul Sathar Moosa Sait in 1902.

Later, a successor transferred the land to Farook College, a government-aided institution based in Kozhikode, established to empower socially backward classes.

A Wakf deed was registered in 1950 following this handover. A Waqf deed is a legal document that establishes the permanent dedication of property under Islamic law.

Most families currently residing in Munambam are from the fishing community and belong to the Latin Catholic Church.