Waqf Board row: State blatantly surrenders to Sangh Parivar’s agenda, says Pinarayi Vijayan
The State government’s move to appoint non-Muslim members to the Kerala Waqf Board amounts to subscribing to the divisive agenda of the Sangh Parivar in
The State government’s move to appoint non-Muslim members to the Kerala Waqf Board amounts to subscribing to the divisive agenda of the Sangh Parivar in Kerala, Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Describing the State move as ‘shocking and surprising’, Mr. Vijayan criticised Chief Minister V.D. Satheeshan’s attempt to portray those opposing the government’s decision as communalists and proponents of minority appeasement. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Mr. Vijayan alleged that Mr. Satheeshan was misleading the people of the State regarding the reconstitution of the Waqf Board. He said the previous Left government had reconstituted the Board in February 2026 after the term of the previous Board expired. However, it deliberately did not fill the two positions reserved for non-Muslim members, despite the requirement under the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development (UMEED) Act, 2025, as mandated by the Centre.
The Act requires the inclusion of two non-Muslim members and one Shia member on the Board. However, Mr. Vijayan said that Section 14 of the UMEED Act does not state that the absence of these members would render the Waqf Board defunct. Accordingly, the Board continued to function without non-Muslim members while awaiting the Supreme Court’s final verdict on petitions filed by the State government and the Waqf Board challenging the amended Waqf legislation. In the meantime, the State government’s submission before the Court that it would reconstitute the Waqf Board in accordance with the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, came as a shock to all stakeholders, Mr. Vijayan said. He recalled that when the LDF challenged the amended legislation, the then Opposition UDF had joined the protest, with its MPs supporting the LDF’s efforts in Parliament to restore the status quo.
However, after assuming office in May, the UDF government made a complete U-turn on the issue, as part of a larger conspiracy to implement the Sangh Parivar’s divisive agenda in Kerala. Those who sought to expose this alleged nexus were now being branded as communalists and advocates of minority appeasement by the Chief Minister, he said. Vijayan also criticised the Indian Union Muslim League’s stand on the issue, saying it amounted to betraying the community. He cited Tamil Nadu as an example, noting that the newly elected government led by C. Joseph Vijay had not deviated from the stand adopted by the previous DMK government under M.K. Stalin on the Waqf Board issue. All parties concerned are of the view that the present Kerala government should follow the example of the former LDF government and the Tamil Nadu government by continuing to challenge the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act before the Supreme Court.
The BriefWire