The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has appealed to the Members of Parliament (MPs) from Kerala to vote in favour of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024. The appeal has been signed by Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos Bava, Mar Poli Kannookkaran (Vice President, KCBC), and Bishop Dr Alex Vadakkumthala (Secretary General, KCBC).
The appeal calls on Kerala MPs to support the Bill to address the legitimate grievances of the people of Munambam, who have been observing satyagraha for more than five months in defence of their ancestral property rights. These properties, totalling 404 acres and belonging to over 600 families—most of them Christians—have been wrongly claimed by Islamic groups as Waqf lands.
The KCBC urges MPs to vote in favour of the Amendment Bill, which aims to remove unconstitutional and unjust clauses currently in force. The existing provisions, which prevent the rightful owners of Munambam from enjoying their ancestral lands—held legitimately for generations—must be repealed in their entirety. The disputed land, which was sold to the Munambam natives, is now being falsely claimed by Farooq College as a charity/gift. The KCBC has called upon elected representatives to support the amendment to ensure that no further claims are made on the land belonging to the Munambam community.
Quoting from the statement issued by KCBC President Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos, the Church made it clear that elected representatives “must vote in favor of amending the unconstitutional and unjust provisions” that have emboldened the Waqf Board’s encroachment on Christian lands.
Speaking with Organiser, Fr Thomas Tharayil, Deputy Secretary General of KCBC, stated that, if circumstances permit, they may also meet with MPs to discuss the issue directly. However, he clarified that KCBC is not opposed to Waqf laws as a whole—their primary concern is to ensure that cases like Munambam do not arise in the future.
https://twiiter.com/kochattil/status/1906028604838097098
Kerala has a total of 20 Lok Sabha MPs, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) holding the majority. The UDF consists of 14 MPs from Congress, 2 from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), 1 from the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), and 1 from Kerala Congress (J).
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has only 1 MP in the Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also has 1 MP from Kerala in the lower house of Parliament.
In the Rajya Sabha, Kerala has a total of 9 MPs. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has the majority with 6 seats, comprising 3 MPs from CPM, 2 from CPI, and 1 from Kerala Congress (M).
The United Democratic Front (UDF) holds 3 seats, with 2 MPs from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and 1 from Congress.
The intervention by the KCBC leadership is being seen as a direct challenge to the Kerala MP’s, which has been ambiguous on the Waqf Board’s increasing hold over land disputes. The Church has now demanded that Kerala’s MPs take a clear stand on the issue and act in favour of their own community’s rights.
Kerala: Church leads statewide protests to support Munambam, challenges Waqf authority https://t.co/1NZF1UkKIX
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) November 12, 2024
The KCBC’s influence in Kerala’s Christian-majority constituencies is undeniable, and their stance on the Waqf issue could shape voter sentiment ahead of elections.
