Waqf land issue: BJP accuses Cong, Left govt in Kerala of misleading public

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 12 (PTI) Stepping up the attack against the Congress and the Left government in Kerala over the Waqf Board's claim on land in Munambam and other parts of Kerala, the BJP on Tuesday alleged that both were giving "false promises" to the affected people, claiming they would resolve the issue.

Senior BJP leader and the party's Kerala in-charge, Prakash Javadekar, said that if the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF really want a permanent solution, they must support the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, moved by the NDA government in Parliament.

In a social media post, Javadekar stated that the current Waqf Act of 1995 has given the Waqf Board unrestricted powers to declare any property as Waqf land.

A day after the CPI(M)-led state government assured the protesters in Munambam in Ernakulam district that no one would be evicted from their land, Javadekar said, "If UDF and LDF really want a permanent solution, they must support the Waqf amendment bill, moved by NDA government. It will remove arbitrary powers of Waqf board, bring transparency & accountability." Slamming both the LDF and the UDF, Javadekar further said, "If you are not supporting the bill you are simply fooling hapless people of Munambam and Kerala. You can't fool all the people all the time." The UDF and the LDF recently passed a unanimous resolution in the state assembly opposing the BJP-led Centre's Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which challenges provisions in the existing Waqf law.

Residents in Cherai and Munambam in Ernakulam district allege that the "Waqf Board is unlawfully claiming" their land and property, despite residents holding registered deeds and land tax receipts.

The Union government has said that the objective of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced in Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024 is to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to overcome the shortcomings of the existing act. PTI