Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 20 Keralam Minority Welfare Minister N Samsudheen on Tuesday said that a “consensus” has been arrived at with the various Muslim factions who were aggrieved over their lack of representation in the reconstituted State Waqf Board.
Samsudheen, speaking to reporters, said that all factions could not be represented in the Board as there were two-three posts that were meant for general category.
Later in the day, the minister told reporters that the concerns of the Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar faction of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama will be resolved by including a member of that group in the Board.
He announced this after a meeting with representatives of the Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar faction.
Samsudheen, however, did not clarify how the process would be carried out.
Meanwhile, the Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar faction told reporters that it has decided to call off its agitations in view of the assurance given by the minister.
Earlier in the day, the minister said that while the government had no intention of excluding anyone, appointments had to be made according to various categories and that is why the issue arose.
He was referring to the concerns raised by Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar faction over their lack of representation in the reconstituted Board.
Samsudheen said that those who could not be included in the Board, will be considered for the various other committees, like minority welfare and Haj.
“That is the stand of the Department, party and the UDF,” he said.
He also claimed that a “consensus has been arrived at”, but declined to disclose the details for now.
The minister’s revelation of a consensus comes a day after Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal convened a meeting with leaders of various factions of the Muslim community.
Samsudheen also said that the Kerala High Court approved of the reconstituted Board and that is why it did not interfere with it, despite two petitions challenging it.
“As we reconstituted it according to the law, everyone could not be included in it,” he said.
The Keralam government had last Friday dissolved the Waqf Board headed by K S Hamsa, constituted by the previous LDF government in March this year, and appointed a new nine-member board despite more than four years remaining in the tenure of the old board.
The new board is headed by IUML leader M C Mayin Haji. The other members are IUML leader and MLA Kurukkoli Moideen, Musthafa Faizi, Siras D Capsi, Thodiyoor Muhammed Kunju Maulavi, Sajna Firoz, Jaseem Sabaha, Dr Abdul Majeed Swalahi and C Madina Begham.
(PTI News)
