Thiruvananthapuram, 25 July (H.S.):Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the UDF government, accusing Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan of abandoning the Congress’ earlier stand on the amended Waqf Act and aligning with the Sangh Parivar by permitting the appointment of non-Muslims to the Kerala Waqf Board.

Addressing a press conference, the former Chief Minister alleged that the UDF had made a complete “U-turn” on the issue after assuming office and claimed that Kerala had become the first state to implement the controversial provision of the amended Waqf Act. He said the move amounted to “Sangh Parivar seva” and reflected the government’s willingness to accept the BJP-led Centre’s position.

Vijayan’s remarks came in response to Satheesan’s recent criticism that the CPI(M) leader was attempting to polarise the Muslim community by making communal statements over the Waqf Board appointments issue.

Rejecting the allegation, Vijayan maintained that he had consistently defended the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom, both as Chief Minister and as Leader of the Opposition. He pointed out that the previous LDF government had passed a resolution in the Kerala Assembly opposing the amendments to the Waqf Act and had also challenged the legislation through legal means.

Highlighting the LDF’s position, Vijayan said that when the Waqf Board was reconstituted in February 2026, the government deliberately left vacant the two posts earmarked for non-Muslim members, despite having the legal option to fill them under the amended law.

“If we had wanted to implement the Act, we could have appointed non-Muslims. We chose not to because we opposed the amendments,” he said, questioning whether a Congress-led government should adopt the same stand as the BJP.

He also accused the Chief Minister of ignoring these facts and making misleading statements, adding that such conduct was unbecoming of the office.

Refuting allegations of communal politics, Vijayan said he had merely reiterated the Congress’ own earlier opposition to the Waqf amendments before the party came to power in Kerala. He also expressed solidarity with students protesting at Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET paper leak, extending the LDF’s support to their demands.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman