A political controversy has broken out in Kerala over the inclusion of non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board. The issue has triggered a fresh exchange between rival camps, with the move being defended as consistent with the amended Waqf Act that came into force in 2025.
V D Satheesan argued that the inclusion of non-Muslim members was not a new or arbitrary step, and said the legal framework already allowed such representation. He used that position to push back against criticism and to frame the debate as one rooted in law rather than religion.
The dispute has also taken on a sharper political tone, as Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of using communal messaging around the matter. That charge has added to the wider confrontation between the opposition and the ruling Left over how sensitive religious and institutional issues are being presented in public.
At the center of the debate is whether the composition of the Waqf Board should be viewed through administrative and legal provisions or through a communal lens. With both sides pressing their arguments, the issue has become another flashpoint in Kerala’s already heated political landscape.
