CPM backs residents in Munambam-Wakf land dispute, says nobody will be evicted

Palakkad: Kerala’s ruling CPM announced on Sunday that no resident would face eviction from the coastal village of Munambam in Ernakulam district, where families have been protesting against the Wakf Board's alleged encroachment on their properties.

Party state secretary M V Govindan asserted that modern Kerala is built on the Left government's support for farmers and marginalised communities,  a commitment that will persist.

"The CPM will not support any eviction. No one will be allowed to be evicted from their land, anywhere in Kerala, not just in Munambam," he told reporters, adding that the government would adopt a necessary stance after addressing technicalities, including legal matters.

He observed that opposition to Wakf Board claims in Munambam has a long history and is not an issue that the government alone can resolve, but assured continued support for the protesters. Govindan further accused the BJP of attempting to incite communal divisions over the situation in Munambam.

"In Munambam, the BJP's objective is to create communal divisions. The CPM will effectively counter this," Govindan added. The BJP, however, dismissed the accusations and claimed the ruling CPM-led LDF and the Congress-headed UDF had neglected the interests of the majority community in Kerala on this issue.

BJP state president K Surendran claimed that both the LDF and UDF collaborated to pass a resolution in the state Assembly against the Centre’s proposed Waqf amendment, overlooking the interests of Kerala’s Christian community and the broader majority population. "There are communal agendas behind this, and it should be thoroughly examined," Surendran urged.

These remarks from party leaders arise amid mounting discontent among sections of the Christian community in Kerala over the LDF and UDF's position on the BJP-led Centre's proposed Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Both the Congress-led UDF and CPM-led LDF recently passed a resolution in the Assembly opposing the Centre's Wakf (Amendment) Bill, which would alter current Waqf legislation.

In favour of the Bill, the Church has alleged that the Waqf Board has unlawfully claimed properties held by Christian families for generations in Cherai and Munambam villages in Ernakulam district under the present law. Residents of these areas have voiced concerns, asserting that despite having registered deeds and receipts for land taxes, their properties are being claimed by the Waqf Board.

Recently, an editorial in the Syro-Malabar Church-affiliated Deepika daily criticised the UDF and LDF, accusing them of passing an Assembly resolution "to protect the Wakf law without acknowledging the suffering of affected people."