Munambam land row echoes in Rajya Sabha

Kerala's Munambam land dispute sparks heated debate in Rajya Sabha over Waqf Bill, with BJP and CPI(M) clashing.

Kerala’s contentious Munambam land dispute featured prominently during the Rajya Sabha debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on Thursday (03.04.2025), with the BJP highlighting the issue to justify the need for the legislation, leading to a heated exchange in Malayalam between CPI(M) MP John Brittas and Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi.

Congress MP Jebi Mather extended on behalf of her party unconditional support for residents of Munambam, accusing the BJP of using “venomous cocktail of communal polarisation” and trying to drive a wedge between two minorities in Kerala.

The controversy stems from the Kerala State Waqf Board’s recent inclusion of 404 acres of land on the Munambam coast in Ernakulam, inhabited by approximately 600 predominantly Christian families, in the Waqf register. This move triggered protests, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) had appealed to parliamentarians on Monday to support the Waqf (amendment) Bill, seeing it as a potential resolution.

Initiating the debate, Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju referred directly to the Munambam row and the appeals from the CBCI and other Christian organisations urging Kerala MPs to back the Bill. “I don’t want to put mental pressure on the Kerala MPs.... they already must be under immense pressure,” Mr. Rijiju remarked.

Leader of the House and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda also invoked the dispute, questioning why Christian organisations were approaching the Centre instead of “Christian leaders in the State.”

Countering the government, Mr. Brittas accused the BJP of shedding “crocodile tears” for Christians in Kerala over the Munambam issue. He contrasted the situation with Manipur, where he claimed over 200 churches were burnt and 50,000 people displaced, asserting the Left government in Kerala would peacefully settle the Munambam dispute.

“Last year alone 700 attacks happened across the country against Christians… let us not forget who killed Graham Staines and who did not extend basic facilities to Stan Swamy in jail,” Mr. Brittas added, attacking the Centre’s record. He also took a political swipe, noting the BJP won only one seat in Kerala in the recent Lok Sabha polls (held by Mr. Gopi), calling it a “mistake” Kerala would soon correct.