Why Congress risks losing ground in Kerala despite opposing Waqf bill

The passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament threatens to affect the Congress party in Kerala even though it staunchly opposed the legislation. The reasons for the potential setback are multifaceted.

The bill – which secured 288 votes in favour and 232 against in the Lok Sabha and 128 in favour and 95 against in the Rajya Sabha — has triggered a political firestorm across the country.

Disadvantage Congress

In Kerala, where religious harmony and land rights are deeply intertwined with electoral politics, the Congress is on the backfoot both for opposing the bill and for not opposing it well.

The conspicuous absence of Congress star Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the discussion of the bill in the Lok Sabha and Rahul Gandhi’s lack of participation in the debate have not gone unnoticed in Kerala.

In contrast, the strong performances of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders John Brittas in the Rajya Sabha and K Radhakrishnan in the Lok Sabha countering the bill adds fuel to this fire.

Also Read: LIVE | Rajya Sabha passes Waqf Bill (128-95)

Christians upset

Moreover, the Congress’s opposition to the bill has alienated a significant section of Kerala’s Christian community, particularly the influential Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC), while failing to fully please the Muslim voters.

This complex dynamic was pointed out by critiques from the Fraternity Movement, a student group linked with the Jamaate Islami, and a hard-hitting editorial in Suprabhatham, the mouthpiece of a prominent Sunni faction of Muslims in Kerala.

Muslim anger

"It was a disgrace that Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi, whom the nation watches with great hope in the Lok Sabha, violated the whip and failed to attend parliament. The question of where Priyanka was when the BJP was bulldozing the constitutional rights of Muslims will remain forever unanswered,” an editorial in Suprabhatham said.

“There will also continue to be questions about why the Leader of the Opposition chose not to speak on a bill that threatens the unity of the nation," it added.

Fraternity Movement, which wholeheartedly campaigned for the Congress-led UDF and Priyanka Gandhi in the Wayanad byelection, put up posters criticising Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

"Their silence will neither be forgotten nor forgiven."

Also Read: Waqf bill: Congress issues whip to its Lok Sabha MPs for next 3 days

Congress defends itself

The Congress party’s official explanation is that Priyanka Gandhi was away to visit a close relative who was seriously ill. They maintain that Rahul Gandhi's decision to stay away from the debate was a strategic move, aimed at preventing the BJP from hijacking the discussion with personal attacks on him and the Gandhi family.

However, this explanation appears to have failed to convince Muslim organisations.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) touts the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 as a step towards protecting constitutional property rights, opposition parties, including the Congress, have decried it as an attack on Muslim religious autonomy and a violation of federal principles.

Kerala scenario

In Kerala, the bill has stirred particular controversy due to the Munambam land dispute where the Kerala State Waqf Board claims ownership of 404 acres, affecting over 600 families - mostly Christians and Hindus - who assert legal ownership through registered deeds.

Kerala’s political scene is a delicate balance of secularism and communal interests, with the Congress historically relying on a coalition of Muslim and Christian voters, alongside support from sections of the Hindu community, to counter the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI(M).

The party’s opposition to the Waqf Bill was intended to solidify its Muslim base. This strategy appears to be backfiring as it alienates Christians while failing to fully capitalise on its anti-BJP stance.

Also Read: Catholic bishops' outfit backs Waqf Amendment Bill

Gandhis take flak

As the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi has been vocal on social media, calling the bill “an attack on the Constitution” and a “weapon aimed at marginalising Muslims”. Yet, his absence from the parliamentary floor during the 12-hour debate has drawn criticism from within and outside the party.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, recently elected the MP from Wayanad, was expected to spearhead the Congress campaign against the bill in parliament. Her victory in Wayanad, a constituency with a significant Muslim population, had raised hopes that she would emerge as a vocal advocate for their interests.

Priyanka targeted

However, her absence from the house during the critical period leading up to the bill’s passage has left party workers and voters disillusioned.

“She might have had personal matters to attend to. But the Waqf Bill is something that could cause colossal damage to an entire community. As an MP and a friend of the country's minorities, she should have adjusted her schedule accordingly and put up a fight — even if only symbolic — in the House,” said Abdul Hameed, a retired government employee and a Congress voter from Wayanad.

“Rahul Gandhi, as the Leader of the Opposition, had a duty to speak up,” he added.

Also Read: Muslim MPs wear black armbands at Jumma prayers to protest Waqf Bill

CPI(M) scores

Even though Congress leaders like KC Venugopal and Hibi Eden strongly put up resistance in parliament, it was just not up to the mark for the UDF supporters, especially the minority vote base that is key in northern Kerala including the Gandhi’s new-found second home, Wayanad.

This absence of Priyanka and the silence of Rahul allowed the CPI(M) to seize the narrative even though they were few in numbers. Leaders like Radhakrishnan and Brittas stepped in to champion the cause of those who will be affected by the bill.

The CPI(M) MPs in fact skipped their all-important party Congress in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, to take part in the discussions in parliament.

Marxists versus BJP

Brittas, a Rajya Sabha member, emerged as a fierce critic of the Waqf Bill, clashing with Union minister Suresh Gopi in a heated exchange that has since gone viral. Brittas accused the BJP of “shedding crocodile tears” for Christians while pushing a divisive agenda.

His pointed reference to Suresh Gopi - “We’ve kept your venom out of Kerala, but one has slipped through” - was a jab at the BJP’s lone Kerala MP who won from Thrissur in 2024. Gopi, a Union minister and the BJP’s sole MP from Kerala, has aggressively championed the Waqf Bill, calling it a tool to “suppress brutality” against Munambam’s residents.

His rhetoric has won him support among some Christian voters, but Brittas’ rebuttal - framing Gopi as an outlier in Kerala’s secular ethos - has resonated more broadly.

Also Read: Kerala | Rift in UDF to fore as IUML MP says contentious Munambam property is Waqf land

The Catholic belt

Incidentally, the Congress opposition to the Waqf Bill has irked a key ally: the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC).

The KCBC, representing the state’s influential Catholic community, has publicly supported the bill, citing the Munambam dispute as evidence of “unconstitutional and unjust” provisions in the existing Waqf Act.

In a statement, KCBC leaders had urged Kerala MPs to back the amendments, arguing that they are essential to protect the property rights of Munambam’s 600-plus families, predominantly Christians.

Alienating KCBC

By opposing the bill, both the Congress and the CPI(M) risk alienating the KCBC and its followers who wield significant influence in central Kerala constituencies, especially in central and southern Kerala

As Kerala heads towards local self-government and then Assembly elections, the Waqf Bill could prove crucial. Unless the Congress recalibrates its strategy - perhaps by amplifying Kerala leaders like Venugopal or Hibi Eden or engaging more directly with the KCBC - it risks ceding ground to its rivals.

For now, the party’s opposition to the bill, intended as a strength, may well become its Achilles’ heel in the Christian belt, with the BJP, not the CPI(M), poised to make gains on the ground from it.