"Look at Kerala" call by BJP backfires as Karnataka rejects propaganda, says Kerala social media
Bengaluru: The recent election results in Karnataka have sparked a wave of celebration in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promoted the film ‘The Kerala Story’ during the campaign, which is based on the ‘love jihad’ conspiracy theory and was criticized for being anti-Muslim and political propaganda by opposition parties. The BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, had warned the people of Karnataka to “look at Kerala” and suggested that if they did not vote for the BJP, their state would become like Kerala.
However, the election results in Karnataka showed that the people rejected this propaganda and looked for real issues. Congress emerged as the winner, which is being celebrated in Kerala as a victory over the BJP's hate campaign against the state. Kerala's social media is awash with trolls referring to the call by the BJP leaders to the voters of Karnataka to look at Kerala.
A report authored by KK Shahina for the Outlook sheds light upon how people in Kerala have been expressing their emotions over the development and how the Congress victory in Karnataka has become a subject of rejoicing in its neighboring state.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan commented on the victory of Congress, saying that "The entire South is liberated from BJP. This gives a clear indication of the future of the country. The Prime Minister camped for around 10 days for the campaign, yet the people of Karnataka rejected the hate campaign and gave a fitting reply."
The social media responses in Kerala suggest that an aggressive form of nationalism would cause the emergence of sub-nationalism as a form of resistance. The posts in Malayalam referring to the Dravidian identity of the South and the legacy of Basaveswara, the 12th-century Lingayat social reformer, and philosopher, gained wide popularity in the Facebook constituency of Kerala. A poster of ‘South India Story’ with the pictures of the Chief Minister of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana along with Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar went viral on social media.
Senior political leaders also joined the celebration on social media. Dr. Thomas Issac, CPI-M leader, and former Finance Minister, wrote on Facebook that the Karnataka results are a tight slap on the face of the BJP that spewed venom to win an election. He wrote, “In the last moment, they even tried their luck with a third-rate propaganda film ‘The Kerala Story’. The Home Minister Amit Shah took up the lead with a hate campaign against Kerala. Nothing worked in favor of them.”
Some other messages going around in Kerala’s social media circles are:
“Modi and Amit Shah reached Karnataka and asked the people to look at Kerala. They did and found no BJP there.”
“Amit Shah warned the people of Karnataka that Kerala is their neighboring State. If they don’t vote for BJP, Karnataka will become like Kerala. The people of Karnataka decided to be like Kerala.”
The social media responses in Kerala suggest that the mood set in these posts does not cater just to the cultural identity of Kerala but that of South India as a whole. The posts in Malayalam referring to the Dravidian identity of the South and the legacy of Basaveswara gained wide popularity in the Facebook constituency of Kerala. The victory of the Congress in Karnataka has been widely celebrated in Kerala as a moment of victory over the BJP's hate campaign against the state.
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Parliament passes Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025
New Delhi (PTI): Parliament early Friday passed the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, after it was approved by the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha had on Thursday approved the Bill after over a 12-hour debate.
In Rajya Sabha, the Bill got 128 votes in its favour and 95 against after all the amendments moved by the opposition were rejected.
In the lower house, the bill was supported by 288 MPs while 232 voted against it.
Participating in a debate in the Rajya Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Bill was brought with a number of amendments based on suggestions given by various stakeholders.
"The Waqf Board is a statutory body. All government bodies should be secular," the minister said, explaining the inclusion of non-Muslims on the board.
He, however, said the number of non-Muslims has been restricted to only four out of 22.
Rijiju also alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties, and not the BJP, were trying to scare Muslims with the Waqf Bill.
"You (opposition) are pushing Muslims out of the mainstream," he added.
He said for 60 years, the Congress and others ruled the country, but did not do much for Muslims and the community continues to live in poverty.
"Muslims are poor, who is responsible? You (Congress) are. Modi is now leading the government to uplift them," the minister said.
According to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Waqf tribunals will be strengthened, a structured selection process will be maintained, and a tenure will be fixed to ensure efficient dispute resolution.
As per the Bill, while Waqf institutions' mandatory contribution to Waqf boards is reduced from 7 per cent to 5 per cent, Waqf institutions earning over Rs 1 lakh will undergo audits by state-sponsored auditors.
A centralised portal will automate Waqf property management, improving efficiency and transparency.
The Bill proposes that practising Muslims (for at least five years) can dedicate their property to the Waqf, restoring pre-2013 rules.
It stipulates that women must receive their inheritance before the Waqf declaration, with special provisions for widows, divorced women and orphans.
The Bill proposes that an officer above the rank of collector investigate government properties claimed as Waqf.
It also proposes that non-Muslim members be included in the central and state Waqf boards for inclusivity.
