Day after Rijiju’s Waqf remarks, BJP initiates legal huddle over Munambam
At the BJP meeting on Wednesday, a section of leaders raised criticism that the press meeting was a strategic error, sources in the party told Onmanorama.
At the BJP meeting on Wednesday, a section of leaders raised criticism that the press meeting was a strategic error, sources in the party told Onmanorama.
At the BJP meeting on Wednesday, a section of leaders raised criticism that the press meeting was a strategic error, sources in the party told Onmanorama.
Kochi: In what looked like a damage control measure a day after Union Minister Kiren Rijiju’s remarks on the Waqf Act and the Munambam land struggle invited sharp political criticism, the BJP’s Kerala unit has initiated a discussion on the legal nuances of the new law. The party's top brass, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, sat with the BJP legal cell in the party office in Kochi on Wednesday amid the criticism that the Union minister could not offer a clear solution to the Munambam issue where 610 families are staging a protest against the State Waqf Board’s claim over their properties.
Minister Rijiju addressed the protesters at Munambam on Tuesday and promised that the Narendra Modi government has ensured provisions in the new law keeping in mind a solution to their struggle. However, he did not go into the details, citing the matter as sub-judice. Earlier on Tuesday, he addressed the media and suggested that the Munambam land issue could only be resolved through a legal battle. The CPM and the Congress were quick to slam the minister and the BJP, saying they betrayed the people of Munambam, promising that the new law would bring an end to their problems.
At the BJP meeting on Wednesday, a section of leaders raised criticism that the press meeting was a strategic error, sources in the party told Onmanorama. The concern was that the minister’s remarks added to the confusion over how the new law could resolve the land dispute. Both at the press conference and the public meet, the minister said that once the rules are framed for the recently enacted Waqf (Amendment) Act, the Centre would give directions to the state government on matters including the land dispute.
In a separate meeting, a group of lawyers aligned with the party were tasked to prepare the legal aspects that need to be considered while drafting the rules for the law in the context of the Munambam issue. The legal team will also consult experts about the scope of the new law in resolving the land dispute.
Two sources in the party said the party will submit the points to the Centre. A lawyer who attended the meet, however, said that the meet was only a routine affair and Waqf law was discussed since it is an active issue.