THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The highly contentious Munambam Waqf land issue has returned to the forefront of Keralam politics, catching the newly formed UDF government in a web of its own campaign rhetoric. For months, both the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have assured the 600-odd families—predominantly belonging to the Latin Catholic Christian and local Hindu fishing communities—that they stand firmly with them. Yet, exactly seven days after taking the oath of office, Chief Minister VD Satheesan’s much-publicised “ten-minute solution” remains completely elusive.
Instead of an immediate administrative resolution, the Chief Minister is now attempting to pass the buck, pointing out that the current Waqf Board leadership was appointed by the erstwhile LDF government. The issue has turned into a massive multi-cornered political battle, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP and community mouthpieces alike.
Waqf Board Claims Complete Ownership on Central Portal
The dispute reached a boiling point on Sunday when K.S. Hamza, the Chairman of the Kerala State Waqf Board, declared that the 404 acres of land in Munambam belong to the Waqf “lock, stock, and barrel.” Hamza revealed that the entire area has been registered on the centralized UMEED (Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development) portal, a national digital platform managed by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Defending the action, Hamza stated that all properties considered by the Board to be Waqf assets across the state have been uploaded to the portal to safeguard them, effectively bypassing local disputes. Addressing the plight of the Munambam natives, Hamza argued that the focus should shift to identifying the “culprit” who illegally sold the consecrated land in the first place. He claimed that preliminary findings and recent Supreme Court observations align with the Board’s stance.
“Once the Supreme Court rules that it is Waqf property, no citizen can deny it,” Hamza asserted, adding that given the legal reality, Chief Minister Satheesan cannot easily maintain a contradictory position.
“Satheesan Behaves Like a Cheat,” Alleges BJP
The development has triggered an aggressive response from the opposition. Former BJP state president K. Surendran launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, accusing him of operating under intense political duress from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Jamat-e-Islami.
“When V.D. Satheesan was the Leader of the Opposition, he claimed he could settle this issue in ten minutes. Now that he is in power, the land has been uploaded to the Waqf portal, and he behaves like a cheat,” Surendran stated.
The BJP leader also criticized Satheesan’s defensive maneuvers, noting that the Chief Minister has recently vowed to fight the case legally to prevent evictions, a move critics view as an admission that a swift executive solution is no longer on the table.
Growing Allegations of Administrative Hypocrisy
The controversy has also spilled over into administrative appointments. K. Surendran highlighted the recent appointment of former Keralam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Rathan U. Kelkar as the Secretary to Chief Minister Satheesan. Surendran pointed out a political double standard, drawing parallels to West Bengal where Suvendu Adhikari appointed former CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal to a key post.
“When the BJP did the same in Bengal, Rahul Gandhi criticized it. Ten days later, the exact same thing happens in Keralam. It shows that hypocrisy is at its peak,” Surendran added.
Compounding the pressure on the young administration, the BJP has additionally demanded an immediate Rs 10 cut on petroleum products, pointing out that Keralam remains one of the highest duty-paying states in the country.
