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Last Updated:April 15, 2025, 11:24 IST
With both Congress and the Left being seen to be deserting the Christian victims of Munambam, now they see an ally in the prime minister who, regardless of political opposition and mass protests, amended the law they have so far called unfair
BJP’s new Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Munambam and joined residents in their celebrations soon after the passage of the Bill in both Houses of Parliament. (News18)
Hours after Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Kerala witnessed something novel as 50 people from Munambam — where 400 acres of land have been at the centre of the Waqf debate in Kerala — joined the BJP. These 50 were Christians and mostly members of the Munambam protesters’ action committee.
Under normal circumstances, 50 people joining the BJP would not be significant. However, with the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) — a powerful body representing the Syro-Malabar, Latin, and Syro-Malankara Catholic Churches — making the fight of Christian residents of Munambam a focal point in their support to the historic amendment, it assumes huge significance.
WHY MUNAMBAM MATTERS
In a state where Christians form 18.4 per cent of the population, the optics of Munambam siding with the BJP is crucial; more so after the Congress and the Left rejected the Church’s demand asking their MPs to vote in favour of amending “anti-people sections" in the Waqf law. All of a sudden, the BJP, which is often portrayed as a political outfit espousing ‘Hindutva’ and thus unfit for Kerala’s unique social fabric, emerged as the sole champion of the Christian community in the state.
New state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Munambam and joined residents in their celebrations soon after the passage of the Bill in both Houses of Parliament. As Chandrasekhar reached Munambam, he was greeted by a group of residents eager to welcome him and his colleagues. Sweets were exchanged and the residents presented him with a photo of Jesus’s last supper.
Now, Union minister for minority affairs Kiren Rijiju is scheduled to visit Munambam for an event titled ‘Thank You, Modi’ on Tuesday and meet families there who were earlier affected. “He will expose and shatter all the shameless lies and false narratives being spread by the Congress and Left parties in an attempt to mislead the families there," said Chandrasekhar.
The Kerala State Waqf Board had claimed ownership of around 400 acres of land in Ernakulam’s Munambam, affecting over 600 families, predominantly Christians and some Hindus, who have lived there for generations. These residents, mainly fishermen, hold registered deeds and have paid land taxes, yet faced legal challenges due to provisions in the Waqf Act of 1995. The nature of the law allowed the Waqf Board to claim properties it deems as its own, even bypassing civil courts and relegating disputes to Waqf Tribunals.
With both Congress and the Left being seen to be deserting the Christian victims of Munambam, now they see an ally in the prime minister who, regardless of political opposition and mass protests, amended the law they have so far called unfair.
“The Christians, the Hindus, the Muslims — all have realised what the Congress has done. So, sleepless nights [are in store] for Sonia Gandhi and her team for having murdered the Constitution…" said BJP spokesperson and another Kerala Christian face Tom Vadakkan.
FROM ‘SNEH YATRA’ IN 2023 TILL TODAY
On Easter 2023, BJP in Kerala launched its ‘Sneh Yatra’, an outreach programme aimed at connecting with the Christian community in the state. Then Kerala BJP president K Surendran visited Cardinal George Alencherry, the former head of the prominent Syro Malabar Church, to convey Christmas greetings from PM Modi. Back then, he also reached out to Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparbil of the Latin Archdiocese of Verapoly with Modi’s greetings.
Having scored nil in both the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the 2021 assembly polls in Kerala, the BJP decided to woo the Christian community with the programme. However, this initially didn’t pay dividends, with Yuhanon Meletius, Metropolitan bishop of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church’s Thrissur Diocese, casting aspersions.
But with sustained outreach and a toned-down ‘Hindutva’ pitch, BJP tasted victory in 2024 when the party had its first-ever MP from the state — Suresh Gopi — who was instrumental in reaching out to the Church along with former Union minister KJ Alphonse ahead of the Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament.
The party has leveraged Christian leaders like George Kurian, a Union minister of state, and Suresh Gopi, Kerala’s first BJP Lok Sabha MP from Thrissur, to bridge the gap with the community. The appointment of Kurian to the Modi cabinet in 2024 and KJ Alphonse as a minister of state in Modi 1.0 were deliberate signals of intent, say party sources, which have now started yielding results. In fact, Gopi’s Thrissur win — where a substantial Christian bloc exists — is credited to the support he received from sections of the Syro-Malabar Church and Latin Catholics.
Beyond Munambam, the BJP has tapped into Christian concerns like perceived “Love Jihad" — a term first used by the Kerala Church. Movies like ‘The Kerala Story’, depicting conversion, found massive support from top BJP leaders while the Left and the Congress opposed it. Even on issues like minority scholarship disparities and economic issues such as low rubber prices, the state BJP promised intervention of the Modi government to address them.
The BJP has also been trying to cater a subdued version of Hindutva that is acceptable to the Christian community. No wonder, the party suspended VV Vijeesh, a member of its Kerala unit, who moved the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on the Malayalam film ‘L2: Empuraan’ over certain scenes of the film, including one where it resembles the 2002 Gujarat riots. The suspension letter was signed by BJP’s Thrissur city district president Justin Jacob — a Christian—to send out the message that Kerala BJP does not tolerate a hard-line stance.
The BJP sees Munambam as a way to erode the Congress-led UDF’s traditional Christian base, especially among Latin Catholics. However, it has a long way to go in replicating many Thrissur-like victories before it can be a dominating player in God’s Own Country.
Location :Kerala, India, India
First Published:April 15, 2025, 11:24 IST
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