Union minister of minority affairs Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday that the newly amended Waqf Act and its provisions would help the residents of the coastal hamlet of Munambam in their legal fight for restoration of revenue rights on the land where their homes stand.
The statement hinted that the issue of the Waqf claim over the land in Munambam would not automatically get resolved with the passage of the new Act and that the residents would have to approach the top court.
“Munambam fishermen will be protected. You take my word for it. How to do it is a process. You can’t decide a case. With the new Act and the supporting provisions, (the Waqf claim over land in Munambam) is easily challengeable in the Supreme Court. Since it’s subjudice, I am not making a direct comment. So, the recourse available to the innocent fishermen is to approach the Supreme Court,” the Union minister said at a press conference in Kochi before addressing an event, “Thank You Modi”, in Munambam.
Rijiju dismissed criticism raised by Opposition parties that the Union government was “working against Muslims”.
“There are some campaigns to set the narrative that the central government is working against the Muslim community. We are here to correct the mistakes done in the past and do justice to the needy. After thorough discussion, we hope in the future that we will not see a case like Munambam again,” he said.
In Munambam, a coastal hamlet in Ernakulam district, nearly 600 families, who are mostly Christian fisherfolk, have been agitating for return of their ownership rights on 404 acres of land, which have remained in limbo since 2022 when the Kerala State Waqf Board claimed ownership of the land on which their homes stood. It is claimed by the Waqf Board that the contested land in Munambam was gifted by an individual, Siddique Sait, as “waqf” to the Farook College in Kozhikode. However, the protesting residents in Munambam claimed that they bought parcels of land from the college management and have access to title deeds attesting to the purchases. The row arose when the local village panchayat suspended the payment of land tax and banks declined loans to residents on the said land since 2022.
Later, at a public rally held at the spot where the residents of Munambam have been protesting for months, the Union minister said the issue of the coastal village was in the mind of the Union government while it was drafting the Waqf (Amendment) bill.
“You are living in our heart. We will not take rest until you get back your land. The change in the Waft Act is not a political agenda. It is a human issue. It is to address the problems faced by the common people. The rich people don’t have problems, they can manage. It is not a political issue for our party. For PM Modi, the utmost important concern was how to provide justice,” said Rijiju.
“The Communist Party and the Congress think about their political vote bank and interest. They think if the Waqf Act is passed, they will lose their vote. If your community is less, you can’t decide the future course of the government. They are thinking politically. We don’t consider politics as a factor while deciding the important issue of changing the draconian provisions in the Waqf Act,” the minister said.
The BJP has raised the issue of Waqf claim over land in Munambam as one of its prestige issues and flagged it as a reason to pass the newly amended legislation that changes the structure of the state Waqf boards across the country.
On Tuesday, before the public rally in Munambam, Rijiju, along with state BJP leaders, held discussions with the leaders of the Latin Catholic Church which exerts influence in the area.
However, the committee which has been staging the agitation in Munambam said it expected a positive announcement from the Union minister on resolving the issue.
“We expected a big good news. He said the rules of the passed Act are being drafted. After the rules are drafted, they would see how they can help us. We thought there would be an announcement (of our issue of revenue rights being restored). That’s what we were told. The minister has said he would come to Munambam again after the rules are drafted. We wait with hope,” a member of the Munambam protest committee said.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said the new Waqf Amendment Act would open the doors for “never-ending” legal hassles for the residents of Munambam.
“The Union minister has said in the past that the new Waqf Act has no retrospective effect. Then how can the issue in Munambam be resolved? By making two communities fight, the BJP is waiting for political gains from it. The UDF does not want such gains,” said Satheesan.
IUML general secretary PMA Salam said, “By using its majority in both Houses of Parliament, the NDA government passed the draconian legislation. There will be resistance against the bill in the courts of the land.”
The IUML has planed a mega rally on Wednesday against the new law in Kozhikode beach.