Wed Apr 02 10:03:05 UTC 2025: ## CPI(M) Vows to Oppose Controversial Waqf Amendment Bill

**Thiruvananthapuram/Madurai, April 2, 2025** – The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has firmly declared its opposition to the Waqf Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament. CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan announced the party’s stance, stating that its MPs will vote against the bill. This decision comes despite criticism from the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), who have urged Kerala MPs to support the bill. Govindan dismissed the KCBC’s concerns, asserting the CPI(M)’s position remains unchanged.

Govindan characterized the bill as detrimental to Waqf interests, alleging attempts to incite inter-communal conflict. His statement follows an editorial in the Church-run daily *Deepika*, which framed the bill as a test of Parliament’s secularism and warned against opposing it. The *Deepika* editorial also claimed the bill would address injustices faced by numerous Hindu, Christian, and Muslim citizens under existing Waqf laws.

Meanwhile, the BJP in Kerala plans state-wide protests targeting MPs from the INDIA bloc, who are also opposing the bill. Opposition parties widely denounce the bill as unconstitutional and detrimental to the Muslim community, despite its passage through a Joint Committee of Parliament with amendments. The bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament today.

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