Kochi: Union Minister Suresh Gopi lashed out at both the Congress and the CPM over the Waqf issue on Friday. “Some people claimed the Waqf Bill would be thrown into the bin in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The future action would depend on the new legal amendments. Let’s see how it pans out. People in Munambam will benefit from this law,” he said. Speaking to the media in Kochi, he said the changes in the law would benefit the people who were previously at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, Suresh Gopi appeared visibly upset when asked about the recent attack on Malayali priests in Jabalpur. "Go ahead and do a post-mortem of my tongue, but don’t dissect my mind," he said. "That attack in Jabalpur is part of incidents happening here and there. Didn’t some people try to kill the bishop in Pala? Didn’t they try to trap him in a case? Who are you? Whom are you questioning? Be very careful while speaking. Who is the media here? The people are bigger here," he added.

His remarks came in response to persistent media questions about the attack on a group of Christians, including Malayali priests, at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

George Kurien assures justice in Munambam
Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian on Friday demanded that the land claimed by the Waqf Board in Kerala's Munambam be returned to its rightful owners.

During a discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Rajya Sabha, Kurian said the Waqf Board has to show the deed to prove its ownership.

"The rightful ownership of the land should be fully restored to the people of Munambam. Any provision of law that contradicts the principle of the Indian Constitution must be amended. The right of a religious minority as guaranteed by the Constitution should be safeguarded," Kurian said.

The minister said that Muslims in Kerala are very gentle and pious. Kurian alleged that opposition leaders want to mislead them.