Cross Your Fingers

The Wakf Bill may not solve the problem for the residents of Munambam village in Kerala, but it could deepen the communal wedge

- Shahina K. K. IS A SENIOR REPORTER COVERING SOUTH INDIA

On the night of April 3, 2025, the people of the coastal village of Munambam in Ernakulam District in Kerala did not sleep. When the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament at 2 AM on the day, the village erupted in celebrations, as residents, mostly Christian families, saw it as a step towards resolving their long-standing land dispute with the Kerala State Waqf Board. The community, which had been protesting for 174 days over claims to 400 acres of land, burst firecrackers, chanted slogans like 'Narendra Modi Zindabad' and distributed sweets, expressing hope that the bill would restore their revenue rights. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and others like Shaun George and P. K. Krishnadas, visited Munambam to join the jubilant residents the next day morning, assuring continued support until their rights were secured. Chandrasekhar hailed the bill's passage as a historic moment, accusing opposition parties like the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of neglecting the community's plight—giving a clue as to what the BJP is planning as a future course of action in Kerala by strengthening its ties with the Christian community.