It’s curtains down on BJP’s Christian ‘romance drama’: Pinarayi

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the Christian Church would soon recognise the brazen falsehood behind Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) attempt to portray the Waqf (Amendment) Act as a panacea for the predominantly Christian Munambam residents locked in a vexatious legal battle with the Kerala Waqf Board over land and home ownership rights.

He said here on Wednesday that the BJP had hoodwinked the Munambam residents into believing that the law would resolve their litigation with the Waqf Board at a stroke by obfuscating that the Act lacked retrospective effect. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government endorsed Munambam residents’ agitation to restore their revenue rights. “Their cause was just. However, the issue was complex and heavily litigious. Hence, the government appointed a commission to study the issue, speak to all stakeholders and open the avenue for an amicable settlement. A High Court division bench had restored the commission’s legitimacy after a Single Bench struck it down”. 

Mr Vijayan accused the BJP of shedding crocodile tears for the Christian community in Kerala. “In BJP-ruled States, including recently in Jabalpur, Sangh Parivar activists disrupted a prayer meeting, assaulted priests, and vandalised church property. On April 4, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) mouthpiece Organiser speculated that the Catholic Church’s properties in the country far surpassed Waqf lands,” he said. 

Mr Vijayan stated that the RSS’ political manifesto identified Muslims, Christians, and communists as fifth columnists and the nation’s principal enemies. “It’s inevitable that the RSS will target the Church’s properties. The RSS may test the waters by introducing a private members’ Bill in the Lok Sabha. Soon, the curtains will come down on the BJP’s romance drama to woo Christians in Kerala. The RSS will soon reveal its true majoritarian and communal colours,” he added. 

Mr Vijayan stated that the U.S. prohibitive tariffs on cash crops from India would further devastate Kerala’s struggling agriculture sector. “It would impact small-scale settler farmers the most. The Union government has submissively yielded to U.S. tariffs,” he added. 

Asked about Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam general secretary Vellapally Natesan’s allegedly disparaging comment about Malappuram district, Mr Vijayan said, “Mr Natesan has clarified his position. Nevertheless, none should contribute to the RSS’ divisive agenda by making insensitive comments.”