Celebrations In Kerala's Munambam After Waqf Bill Passes In Parliament, Christians Expect Relief As BJP Champions Their Cause

The recent passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha has reignited focus on the contentious 400 acre land dispute in Munambam, a coastal area in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, where nearly 600 Christian families are protesting the Waqf Board’s claim over land they have inhabited for generations.

The Indian Express in its report stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its ongoing bid to court the Christian community in Kerala, has been vocal in linking the Munambam issue with the Waqf Bill.

Following the Bill’s passage, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar hailed it as a “landmark step toward upholding the constitutional right to property for all citizens, including the people of Munambam.”

Criticising the CPI(M) and Congress for opposing the Bill, Chandrasekhar posted on X, "What we witnessed in our Parliament yesterday was a shameless display of the Opposition’s appeasement politics… the INDI Alliance partners are more interested in spreading lies… Yesterday’s Waqf debate exposed this glaring truth to the people of Kerala."

Celebrations erupted in Munambam after the Lok Sabha vote, with firecrackers and expressions of hope.

However, both the CPI(M) and Congress have expressed doubts about the Bill’s efficacy in resolving the Munambam issue.

Kerala Law Minister and CPI(M) leader P Rajeev remarked, “What I understand is that the Bill has no retrospective effect… How will the existing issues (such as Munambam) be solved? …the BJP is trying to fish in troubled waters.”

Congress’s Opposition leader V D Satheesan added, “Let the BJP make clear how the Bill will find a solution for the issue… The land is not Waqf land… Certain people want to make it a major issue of polarisation between two minority communities.”

BJP leaders Rajeev Chandrasekhar and V Muraleedharan are expected to visit Munambam soon.

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