Kochi (Kerala) [India], April 1 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson KVS Haridas on Monday said that the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has come out in support of the Waqf Amendment Bill after seeing the plight of Christian fishermen in Munambam, Ernakulam district, who are facing eviction. The State Waqf Board has claimed the lands where these fishermen have been living for decades.
“We have seen that Congress, CPI(M), and INDIA Front are opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill. But here in Kerala, 400-500 acres of land where the Christian fishermen are staying are being considered to be Waqf property. They are facing the threat of eviction from the land where they have been staying for decades,” Haridas told ANI.
“It is in the light of this issue that the Christian Bishops’ Council has come out openly and requested the Congress, UDF, and LDF MPs to support the Bill,” he added.
Haridas welcomed the KCBC’s appeal to Kerala’s MPs to support the Bill, which is expected to be presented in Parliament soon.
“As the BJP spokesperson, I welcome the statement of KCBC requesting all the MPs from Kerala to support the Waqf Amendment Bill that will come up before the Parliament very soon,” he said.
“We all know that the Central Government has brought in a Bill in the Parliament that was referred to the JPC. The JPC has submitted its report with certain amendments to the proposed Bill. It is likely to come before Parliament any day in the next few months. But we have seen that Congress, CPI(M), and INDIA Front are opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill,” he added.
Meanwhile, Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML) Rajya Sabha MP Haris Beeran on Monday accused the BJP of unleashing “propaganda” that if the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, becomes law, Kerala’s Munambam land issue will be resolved.
Beeran said that his party’s leaders are in touch with KCBC in order to address their concerns regarding the Munambam issue.
“IUML leadership has an excellent relationship with the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC). Our leaders are in regular touch with the Archbishop and other Bishops of the Catholic Church. Regarding concerns of the Catholic body, surely we will discuss it out, and we will try to find a way out,” Beeran told ANI.
“That’s not an issue. If there are any concerns, I am sure we can iron them out. I believe the Catholic bodies’ request has come on one specific point, the Munambam land issue. There is propaganda, a narrative that the BJP has unleashed over there, saying that if this Amendment Bill comes, the Munambam land issue can be sorted out. This is far from the truth; they are misleading the people there,” he added.
Around 610 families of Munambam, a coastal village in the Ernakulam district, have been protesting against the claim by the Waqf Board on their land. (ANI)
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