If Vavar raises Waqf claim, Lord Ayyappa will be forced to leave Sabarimala, says Kerala BJP leader

Wayanad (Kerala), Nov 9 (PTI) Senior BJP leader K Gopalakrishnan on Saturday made a controversial statement saying that if "Vavar Swamy" stakes Waqf claim on Sabarimala, then Lord Ayyappa would be forced to leave the holy hills.

According to local lore, Vavar, fondly called as Vavar Swamy by devotees, was the Muslim companion of Lord Ayyappa and there is a place dedicated to him in Sabarimala.

While speaking during the bypoll campaign programme of BJP candidate Navya Haridas here, Gopalakrishnan mentioned about the raging row over Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 introduced by the BJP-led Centre and gave the "hypothetical" example of Sabarimala.

Sabarimala is Lord Ayyappa's land and it could be claimed as waqf land tomorrow, he asked.

"There is a guy sitting under Lord Ayyappa...Down below the holy 18 steps...Vavar...If this Vavar claims tomorrow that he has given the land to Waqf, then Sabarimala will go to Waqf. Then, Lord Ayyappa will be forced to leave Sabarimala..should we allow that?," the BJP leader asked.

Apparently eyeing the Christian community votes in bypoll-bound Wayanad, he further said Velankanni in Tamil Nadu is a prominent Christian pilgrimage centre and if somebody claims tomorrow that it is Waqf land, should it be allowed.

The waqf amendment was brought to prevent this, Gopalakrishnan added.

The BJP leader's controversial remarks come amidst growing resentment among a significant portion of the Christian population in the state regarding the ruling LDF and UDF's stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF had recently unanimously passed a resolution in the state assembly opposing the BJP-led Centre's bill, which challenges provisions in the existing Waqf law.

In support of the bill, the Church has alleged that numerous properties belonging to Christian families for generations in the villages of Cherai and Munambam in the Ernakulam district have been unlawfully claimed by the Waqf Board using provisions of the existing Act.

In Cherai and Munambam villages in Ernakulam district, residents have alleged that the Waqf Board unlawfully makes claim to their land and properties, despite the people having registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.

Recently, the Syro-Malabar Church-backed Deepika daily, in its editorial, attacked the LDF and the UDF, accusing them of passing a unanimous resolution in the state Assembly "to protect the Waqf law without seeing the tears of the affected people."