PALAKKAD: The BJP on Tuesday accused Kerala’s ruling LDF and opposition UDF of engaging in “appeasement politics” by opposing the Centre’s proposed amendments to the Waqf law, an issue that has become prominent during the state’s ongoing bypoll campaign. In a press statement, former union minister and BJP Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar noted that even before the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was discussed or voted on in Parliament, the UDF and LDF passed a unanimous resolution in the Kerala Assembly opposing it.
Javadekar explained that the Bill is currently with a Joint Parliamentary Committee, but the LDF and UDF are already opposing the amendments and siding with the Waqf.
“How can there be two laws in a country? If you have a property dispute involving a temple, a gurdwara, or a church, you can approach the courts. But if you have a dispute over Waqf land, you can’t approach the courts,” Javadekar observed.
He accused the LDF and UDF of “double standards” and “appeasing extremists,” alleging that they have not spoken out about attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, a temple in Canada, or on Israel, and that they oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Javadekar also demanded that the Kerala government disclose the extent of Waqf land in the state and the amount of government, private, and farm land claimed by the Waqf Board.
The senior BJP leader emphasised that this issue is not about Hindus versus Muslims but rather a matter between extremists and the general public. He described the “one-sidedness of the law” and the “biased view” of the LDF and UDF as “worrying.”
Javadekar asserted that the BJP will not allow any government to appease extremists and demanded that issues surrounding Waqf Board claims, particularly in areas like Munambam in Ernakulam district, be resolved to provide justice to the innocent and helpless victims.
Both the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF have faced criticism from various groups, including the Catholic Church, for failing to address the concerns of people in Munambam. There is also growing discontent among the Christian community regarding the LDF and UDF’s stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced by the BJP-led Centre.
In support of the Bill, the Church has alleged that numerous properties owned by Christian families for generations in villages like Cherai and Munambam in Ernakulam district have been unlawfully claimed by the Waqf Board using provisions in the existing Act.