Photo: IANS
Thiruvananthapuram: Pinarayi Vijayan, the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly, accused the Congress-led UDF administration on Friday of making a political pact with the BJP by choosing to carry out the Centre's new Waqf regulations, which include the appointment of non-Muslims to the Kerala Waqf Board.
Speaking to the media here, Vijayan stated that Kerala's stance represented a total break from the previous Left government's stance, which had opposed the Centre's Waqf Act amendments.
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, IANS reported.
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 a strong campaign against what he termed the UDF's double standards on the Waqf issue will happen.