Kerala Congress (J) MP, Francis George on Thursday clarified that he had never said anywhere that he would support the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament . He made the clarification after his earlier statement supporting the Waqf Amendment Bill during a speech at Munambam in connection with the agitation of the Munambam Land Protection Committee sparked a controversy.

Speaking to media persons in Kottayam on Thursday, he said that he did not say that he or his party would support the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament and added that the campaign claiming he would vote for the Bill in Parliament is absurd. George , who represents Kottayam Lok Sabha constituency as nominee of Kerala Congress(J) , a constituent of the Congress-led UDF,said that the report that he would support the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament is distorted news.

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He also said that both he and his party are committed for ensuring that issues like these are resolved through the judicial system, without infringing citizen’s fundamental rights. He made it clear that he would oppose any provision in the bill that seeks to include people of other religions in the Waqf Board and would also reject provisions that undermine the protection of Waqf properties

Earlier, Francis George had reportedly stated that he fully supports the Waqf Amendment Bill. He announced his support for the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament, pledging to take a positive stand on the matter.

Speaking at the 100th day of the Munambam land struggle , organized under the leadership of the Assembly of Christian Trust Services (ACTS), the MP emphasized his commitment to justice and fairness, declaring that his party is ready to cooperate with anyone to uphold these principles. Francis George said that, as a people’s representative and as a representative of a political party, he would support the new Bill. His statement was reportedly met with jubilation by the people of Munambam.

He also reportedly urged the Centre not to succumb to pressure and to move forward with presenting the Waqf Amendment Bill

The protests by around 610 families of Munambam coastal village in Kerala’s Ernakulam district against the claim by Waqf board on their land emerged as major concerns for the CPI-M led-LDF and Congress-led UDF with the influential Catholic community coming out in open against their stance on the issue.

The Munambam issue started in 2019 with the Waqf board staking claim over the land citing that it was Waqf land that was donated to Farook college in Kozhikode by one Siddique Sait in 1950. In 2022, they were told that they cannot pay the land tax on their properties. Following this, the Kerala government intervened and allowed them to pay the tax. However, a forum under the banner Waqf Samrakshana Samathi (Waqf protection forum) challenged the move in the Kerala High Court. The court then stayed the Kerala government’s decision to allow the protesting families to pay tax. The case is still pending before the High Court