SAD, AIMPLB oppose; Cong, JD(U) say bid to divert attention from price rise, unemployment; AAP lone voice of support

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and for ending the “duality of laws” in the country, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday announced support to it, while  major Opposition parties dubbed it as a diversionary ploy. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) outright rejected it.

The Congress and Janata Dal (U) have taken a potshot at the PM for raising the issue of the UCC, saying it was an attempt to divert attention from issues of price rise and employment.At the same time,  Sharad Pawar-led NCP  said broaching the issue of a UCC ahead of elections was a political ploy and that such decisions should not be rushed through.

Modi’s comments on the UCC before the BJP workers in Bhopal on Tuesday triggered an animated debate between the BJP and the main Opposition parties.

The AAP has declared its stance on the UCC, citing Article 44 of the Constitution as a reason for its support. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, though, emphasised the need for wider consultation before implementing the UCC, considering its implications for all religions.

“The Aam Aadmi Party supports the ideological stance of the UCC. Article 44 also states that there should be a Uniform Civil Code. However, the Aam Aadmi Party believes that consensus should be reached after discussions with all religions and political parties before implementing it,” Pathak said.

The SAD said the UCC would have an adverse impact on minority and tribal communities. SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that the party believed that faith, belief, caste, and customs impact laws in the country. These were different for different religions, he added.

The Opposition party in Punjab also criticised the ruling AAP for extending “in-principle” support to the UCC and said it will oppose the law both in Parliament and in front of the 22nd Law Commission.

The AIMPLB held an emergency online meeting late on Tuesday evening and decided that the Board will oppose the UCC. AIMPLB president Saifullah Rehmani and Board members and lawyers, who attended the meeting, decided to present their views in front of the Law Commission. Documents to be submitted to the Law Commission were also finalised at the meeting.

The AIMPLB member and Islamic Centre of India chairman Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said, “For the past several years, politicians have been raising the issue of the Uniform Civil Code just before the elections. This time too, the issue has come up before the 2024 elections.”

He said that the Board has decided to fight the proposal tooth and nail and is in the process of chalking out a strategy to counter the proposed move of the Government “by presenting our view in front of the law commission more powerfully.” Mahali on Wednesday said at Lucknow, “Our stand is that UCC is against the spirit of the Constitution and we will oppose it strongly. India is a country where many religions and cultures are followed. So, the UCC is not only going to affect the Muslims, but also the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Jews, Parsis, and other minuscule minorities.”

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the Prime Minister was batting for UCC to divert people’s attention from issues of unemployment, price rise, and hate crimes. He also alleged the BJP was using UCC to polarise the society. “The Hon’ble PM is making it appear that UCC is a simple exercise. He should read the report of the last Law Commission that pointed out it was not feasible at this time. The nation is divided today owing to the words and deeds of the BJP. A UCC imposed on the people will only widen the divisions,” Chidambaram said.

The Congress also hit out at Modi for drawing a comparison between a family and the nation to justify UCC. In a tweet, the former Union Minister said, “The Hon’ble PM has equated a nation to a family while pitching for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). While in an abstract sense, his comparison may appear true, the reality is very different. A family is knit together by blood relationships.”

Chidambaram said a nation is brought together by a Constitution which is a political-legal document and the UCC cannot be forced. “Even in a family, there is diversity. The Constitution of India recognised diversity and plurality among the people of India. A UCC is an aspiration. An agenda-driven majoritarian Government cannot force it on the people.”

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has targeted Modi for backing UCC, claiming the Prime Minister was trying to bring in a ‘Hindu Civil Code.’ “India’s Prime Minister is now talking about Uniform Civil Code. Are you going to snatch away pluralism, diversity in the name of Uniform Civil Code?” Owaisi said. “They will treat all Islamic references of practices as illegal and the Prime Minister will protect Hindu practices under the law,” he said.