Thiruvananthapuram, July 17 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday accused the Congress-led UDF government of striking a political deal with the BJP by deciding to implement the Centre’s new Waqf guidelines, including the induction of non-Muslims into the Kerala Waqf Board.
Addressing the media here, Vijayan said Kerala’s stand marked a complete departure from the position taken by the previous Left government, which had strongly opposed the Centre’s amendments to the Waqf Act.
He said that when the Centre introduced the changes, several non-BJP ruled states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, had strongly objected to the move.
According to him, the Sangh Parivar’s objective was to induct non-Muslims into Waqf Boards, a step he claimed would undermine the rights of the Muslim community.
“Today it is the Waqf Board. Tomorrow similar guidelines could be imposed on institutions belonging to other religious communities,” Vijayan said.
Recalling the Left government’s stand, he said the Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in October 2024 defending the rights of minority communities and opposing the Centre’s move.
He also pointed out that senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary, K.C. Venugopal, had then publicly expressed concern over the proposed changes.
The UDF, including the Indian Union Muslim League, had also opposed the amendments at the time.
However, Vijayan alleged that the present Satheesan government had now reversed its stand by informing the Kerala High Court that it would abide by the provisions of the Unified Waqf Act framed by the Centre.
He said the submission was made by the Muslim League’s nominee serving as Special Pleader and was supported by the Advocate General.
Vijayan noted that the Waqf Board currently has 11 nominated members.
During the Left government’s tenure, nine members had been appointed, while the remaining two posts were left vacant pending the Supreme Court’s decision on petitions challenging the amended law.
He said the Waqf Board requires only five members to constitute a quorum and, therefore, there was no urgency to fill the remaining vacancies.
He alleged that the present Satheesan government was insisting on appointing two non-Muslim members to the Board despite the matter being pending before the Supreme Court.
He also pointed out that one of the petitioners seeking the appointment of two non-Muslim members was BJP State Vice-President Shone George. Calling the government’s stand a betrayal of the minority community, Vijayan alleged that it exposed a political understanding between the UDF and the BJP that had been reached even before the Assembly elections.
“The Congress has completely bowed before the Centre, whereas the Left had taken a firm and principled stand,” he said.
Describing the government’s position as shameful, Vijayan said the a strong campaign against what he termed the UDF’s double standards on the Waqf issue will happen.
–IANS
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