The AIMIM chief said the BJP's historical agenda regarding Uniform Civil Code is rooted in misconceptions and misunderstandings targeting the Muslim community.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, likely to be presented by the BJP government in parliament in the coming monsoon session starting July 20, is a political manoeuvre by the saffron party aimed at gaining an advantage in the 2024 elections, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi has said.
Owaisi believed that the timing of raising this issue indicates a pre-election agenda rather than a genuine concern for the country.
Owaisi argues that the UCC is an inappropriate law for the nation as it would encroach upon personal laws of various communities. He criticises the Law Commission for allegedly misusing its authority in the process.
Owaisi claims that the UCC would not only pose challenges for Muslims but also adversely affect Sikhs, tribals, Hindus, and non-Muslims in general, causing hardships for everyone involved.
The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad also accused the BJP of utilising the Law Commission to create a favourable atmosphere before the 2024 elections.
In a letter sent to the Law Commission last week, Owaisi squarely rejected the need for UCC. “Everyone says that Muslims will learn a lesson through UCC. But this common law is not good for the entire country,” media reports said.
Owaisi’s letter urged the Law Commission to not allow itself to be made a tool for political propaganda simply on account of the approaching elections and to drop this exercise altogether. However, he said, if the Law Commission “wishes to proceed with this exercise it must do so with seriousness and in a meaningful way, by explaining what it means by UCC and placing a concrete proposal for public comment giving adequate time to all stakeholders to respond.”
According to Owaisi, the BJP’s historical agenda regarding the Civil Code is rooted in misconceptions and misunderstandings targeting the Muslim community.
Owaisi’s letter argued that the UCC is an inappropriate law for the nation as it would encroach upon the personal laws of various communities. He criticised the Law Commission for allegedly misusing its authority in the process. He claimed that the UCC would not only pose challenges for Muslims but also adversely affect Sikhs, tribals, Hindus, and non-Muslims in general, causing hardships for everyone involved.
Owaisi reiterated that any attempt at creating a mandatory UCC today, would go against Articles 19, 25, and 29 of the Constitution “and undermine the intent and purpose of our founders behind Article 44 itself.”
The letter said: “In recognition of the layered, complex, and diverse societies that exist in India – the Constitution promised each community that it would be able to retain its religious practices, its cultural distinction and choose how it expresses itself and engages with the world. To deny these rights to the diverse peoples of this country is to betray a constitutional promise.”
Hindus, Owaisi in the letter said, will also suffer if the UCC is implemented. “Hindus will be at a loss. They will also suffer.”