KOCHI: Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje has accused the Waqf Board of waging a ‘land jihad.’ She raised the allegation while addressing the agitators at Munambam Velankanni Matha Church premises on Thursday.

Expressing solidarity with the ongoing hunger strike launched by the Munambam-Kadapuram Land Protection Committee, which has entered its 34th day, the Union minister said that the Waqf Board has been making attempts for ages to acquire land inhabited by communities from other religions besides the properties of temples, churches and other worship places.

According to Karandlaje, through ‘love jihad,’ they had been trying to convert young women and men of other religions to Islam by pretending to be in love. “Now, they have launched ‘land jihad’,” she added.

“When the Constitution was drafted in 1950, Waqf was not even mentioned. But after partition in 1954, the Waqf Act was formulated highlighting the need to protect the land of Muslims who migrated to Pakistan,” she said.

Then, later on, in 1995 an amendment was brought in that enabled the Waqf to lay claim on the land that it set its eyes on, said the Union minister. “Not only that the other people who have been living on the land for ages cannot file a complaint in any court but can rely only on the Waqf Tribunal that has only Muslims as members,” she pointed out.

The Union minister pointed out that in 1954, the Waqf Board had less than 10,000 acres of land in its possession. “But today it has 38 lakh acres of land,” she said while demanding an answer from the Waqf Board to explain how this happened.

The Union Minister highlighted how this was not a case restricted only to Kerala, but all over the country. “The Waqf Board is asserting its rights on the land of farmers, temples, churches and places of worship of other religions,” said Karandlaje. She pointed out that agitations against this intrusion have been taking place all over the country. She assured that the Central Government would stand with those who are denied justice.