KOCHI: The Munambam Waqf issue, which had been simmering in this tiny coastal hamlet in the Vypeen assembly constituency since 1962, erupted in 2024. Frustrated with political apathy towards their pleas seeking restoration of revenue rights, residents here began an indefinite relay hunger strike.
Backed by the Latin Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, the protest saw every major party scrambling to assuage the ire and, of course, score brownie points.
Rushing in to play the saviour, the BJP initially scored big. It drew national attention to Munambam and subsequently brought the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025.
The LDF, which faced flak, later claimed success in helping residents regain their revenue rights, albeit temporarily. The results were evident in the local self-government polls: the BJP won the Munambam seat, and the LDF also performed well in a UDF bastion. However, the issue remains far from being resolved.
Now, will the ripples be felt in the assembly elections?
“Locally, yes,” said Joseph Jude, vice-president of Kerala Region Latin Catholic Church. “But it is not being widely discussed at the state level.”
Joseph added that local community squads have been working against the LDF as well as the NDA in the Kochi and Ernakulam constituencies. “They want the UDF to win, as the other two fronts have not done much to solve the issue,” he added.
Former MP Sebastian Paul also is of the view that the issue will have little electoral effect beyond the region. “The embers seem to be dying,” he said. “For Munambam, the solution now lies in the legal course, and the process is on. An Act was passed, a judicial commission was appointed… there is not much more to be done politically in the matter.”
Writer and social observer M N Karassery echoed the view. “However, it was an issue that the state government should have resolved, but it left it to the court to decide,” he pointed out.
Journalist and writer N P Chekutty, too, believes the local sentiment is against the LDF. “[CPM leader] M K Sakeer was Waqf Board chairman when the issue broke out,” he noted. “LDF’s duplicity has been exposed.”
Kevin Peter, leader for Christian Association & Alliance for Social Action (Casa), maintained that the issue was alive in the minds of the community. He highlighted that the Waqf Board was reconstituted with the “same members who had played an important role in causing harm to the people of Munambam”.
“This will weigh heavily against the LDF. Only the BJP stood by the victims,” he asserted. “The clergy played into the hands of the Congress.
However, the BJP still continues to fight for the people.”
Joseph Rocky, a leader of the Munambam Land Protection Council, countered that the sense of betrayal was toward the BJP and the LDF.
“Their involvement was superficial. We have been left all alone, fending for ourselves,” he said. “We anticipate a long legal battle.”
He lauds the BJP for the Waqf Act, but points out that it does not have retrospective effect. “It benefits only those who may face a situation similar to ours in the future,” said Joseph.
“They should amend the Waqf Act in a manner beneficial to people like us. But they seem to have conveniently forgotten about it.”
According to Baby P, who runs a tea stall in Munambam, the trust in politicians has eroded.
“The LDF government failed to restore property mutation rights. At least 15 young women’s marriages got cancelled because their parents couldn’t raise the money needed. How can they, when we don’t have property mutation rights?” she asked.
“On the other side, the residents believed that electing a local self-government representative from the BJP would help them gain support from the Central government. But that hasn’t happened yet. So, we are left disillusioned.”
Ironically, it appears that windfall gains may sway to the UDF, led by the Congress — the very same party that was once accused of giving Waqf Boards excessive powers.