The Bharatiya Janata arty received support from much-needed quarters as the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), an influential organisation in the southern belt, asked Members of Parliament from the state to vote in favour of the Waqf Amendment Bill brought by the Centre.
"When the (Waqf) Bill is taken for debate in Parliament, the people’s representatives from Kerala should vote in favour of amending the sections which are unfair and anti-constitutional," Cardinal Baselious Cleemis said in a statement issued Saturday.
The Bill, which has faced opposition from both the Congress and the Left, is likely to be re-introduced in the ongoing session of Parliament which concludes on Friday, April 4.
The KCBC's support to the Waqf Bill comes as a boost for the BJP in Kerala where it has been making attempts to win the confidence of the Christian community in order to make further inroads into the state. The KCBC is a powerful organisation of Catholic bishops in Kerala belonging to the Syro-Malabar, Latin and Syro-Malankara Churches.
The BJP also sees the KCBC's support as crucial ahead of Assembly elections in the state next year where it is attempting to emerge as an alternative by consolidating Hindu and Christian votes. The party's vote share in the state stood at 17 percent in the Lok Sabha elections last year.
The Waqf Amendment Bill came to prominence in Kerala last year after the Waqf Board’s claim on around 400 acres of land at Munambam in Ernakulam district, which has mainly been in the possession of Christian residents for generations.
The residents, who staged a protest against the Waqf Board claims, found support from both the ruling CPI(M) as well as the Opposition Congress. Land authorities also promised that those with valid documents would not be evicted.
However, both parties have also opposed the Waqf Bill brought by the Centre.
In his statement, the Cardinal referred to the Waqf Board's claim to the Munambam land and stressed on the need for amendments to the existing Waqf Act.
"Various clauses in the Waqf Act, which have prevented the occupants of the land from enjoying their legal rights, should be amended. The Farook College management (in Kozhikode, which sold the land to the occupants), had already stated that the land was gifted to them. Hence, people’s representatives should vote in favour of the amendment, which will prevent the Waqf Board from making claims on the land," he said.
Notably, the KCBC also petitioned the Joint Committee of Parliament discussing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill over the issue. Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League, a constituent of the Congress-led Opposition alliance UDF, has assured bishops that the Muslim community would not favour the eviction of the Christian residents on the land.
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