Kottayam (VSK Kerala). Padma Shri awardee Dr. C.I. Issac has stated that the Muslim appeasement policies of first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, are responsible for the encroachments by the Waqf Board. He made this statement while inaugurating a Jagaran Sammelanam (Awareness Conference) organized under the leadership of the Hindu Aikya Vedi in Kottayam, exposing the alleged Waqf-related issues.
Citing statistics, Dr. Issac claimed that Shia and Sunni groups hold the third-largest share of properties in Bharat. He alleged that Congress governments, which ruled until 2013, implemented these appeasement policies, passing laws in a way that even courts cannot challenge. As a result, even poor individuals who had purchased property with hard-earned money are now facing dispossession.
The event was presided by Retired Captain Vikraman Nair, the District President of the Hindu Aikya Vedi.
Speaking at the seminar, social commentator Dr. Arif Hussain criticized the notion of secularism in Bharat, claiming that it has been turned into a tool for minority appeasement. He added that both the Left and Right political spectrums have weakened secularism, creating inequality among citizens. He dismissed allegations that proposed amendments to the Waqf Act were aimed at undermining minorities, stating that similar misunderstandings were spread during the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Advocate Shaun George remarked that Congress tends to downplay the issue, labelling it as localized and affecting only a few people. Advocates Shankar Ram and E.S. Biju also spoke at the event. The meeting passed a condolence resolution for the demise of Advocate Thomas Mathew, Vice President of Sun India. Krishna Kumar Kummanam and R. Jayachandran also addressed the gathering.
