Catholic Congress Global Director Fr Philip Kaviyil on Thursday said that the UDF and LDF MPs from Kerala did not see the tears of the people of Munambam while they voted against the Waqf amendment bill. It will definitely be reflected in the next elections, he added.

Speaking to media persons in Kannur, Fr Philip Kaviyil said that the Kerala MPs’ stance in the Parliament against the Waqf Amendment Bill has become a big wound in the hearts of the people of Munambam and that it will remain in the minds of the people.

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“Today is a dawn of hope for the people of Munambam, who are worried about the Waqf Board’s claims on their land and residences. Among those facing the threat of eviction from the Waqf Board are Christians, Hindus, and Muslims,” Fr Philip Kaviyil said.

Fr Philip Kaviyil also said that the MPs of Kerala could not have voted against the bill. They should have considered the sufferings, woes, and miseries of the people of Munambam while voting against the bill. Other than that, they should not have looked for ways to get political power.

The Catholic Congress Global Director said that the church has not taken a stand in favour of the BJP. He said the church stood on the side of the suffering people and that with the passing of the Waqf Amendment bill, the problems being faced by the people of Munambam would come to an end.

Meanwhile, Congress leader and opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan rejected the BJP’s claim that the Waqf Amendment Bill passed by the Lok Sabha is a victory for the beleaguered residents of Munambam fighting to regain their ownership rights on their land.

Speaking to media persons in Kochi, V D Satheesan said that Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju has made it clear that the Bill will have no retrospective effect.

“So, can all those who are claiming that the Bill will help the people of Munambam please explain how it will benefit the affected people there?” he asked.

It has been pointed out that the Waqf amendment under Section 2(a) will help the residents of Munambam to regain ownership rights over their properties, which are being claimed by the Waqf Board. Section 2(a) states that if the land was transferred from a trust formed by Muslim believers, the Waqf Act will not apply to such transactions. The protest committee claims to possess documents proving that they purchased the land from the Farooq College Trust.

Munambam residents watched the live Lok Sabha discussions on the Waqf Amendment Bill on a TV installed at the protest site at the Velankanni Church premises in Munambam on Wednesday. Disbelief and anger were the most common emotions that reflected on their faces as they saw and heard the MPs they had elected turn against their cause.

“To be stabbed in the heart by the very people we had thought would protect and aid us is an unexplainable pain. Every Munambam resident’s heart is bleeding. Even after Catholic Church organisations like KCBC and CBCI requested the Kerala MPs to vote for the Bill, their speeches said otherwise,” said one agitator at the satyagraha site.

“Our people’s representatives have shown their true colours. The sweet words that they said before us turned into poison in LS. This is the start of Congress’ decline,” another agitator said.

Another protester accused the UDF and LDF of only caring for their votes. “They only want our votes, but when the time comes to safeguard our rights, they are nowhere to be seen,” she said.

Around 610 families of the Munambam coastal village in the Ernakulam district have been protesting against the claim by the Waqf Board on their land for the last 173 days.