Muslim groups in Kerala to put up legal, political fight against UCC

KOZHIKODE: Representatives of major Muslim Organisations in Kerala decided to "fight" the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) legally and politically. The organisations, led by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), opined that if UCC is implemented, it will affect not just Muslims but others as well.

"UCC is not an issue of Muslims, it is of all people. We will unite all people against it and fight legally and politically," said Indian Union Muslim League(IUML) state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal who attended the Tuesday's meeting.

Senior IUML leader and MLA PK Kunhalikutty alleged that UCC is being used as a tool to divide people on communal lines.

Besides IUML the meeting was attended by two factions of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, factions of the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muslim Education Society, and the Muslim Service Society.

On Wednesday, the Congress in Kerala is holding a meeting and is expected to discuss the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee meeting will be attended by all MLAs, MPs, district presidents and top office-bearers.

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, VD Satheesan had on Sunday alleged that BJP is bringing the UCC to divide people and said that there is no need for UCC at present.

"The Law Commission appointed by the central government itself has made it very clear that there is no need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) at present. So we are also taking the same stand that there is no need for UCC at this point in time. BJP is bringing this matter to make a split among the people," Satheesan told ANI here in Thiruvananthapuram.

The ruling party in Kerala, CPI(M), has also criticised the Prime Minister's pitching for the UCC in the country. On Friday, CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is on the "electoral agenda" of the BJP.

"Triggering debates around Uniform Civil Code is an electoral ploy by Sangh Parivar to press their majoritarian agenda for deepening communal divide. Let's oppose any attempts to undermine India's pluralism and support reforms through democratic discussions within communities," Kerala CM tweeted.

Kerala CM's stand drew a sharp reaction from the BJP Kerala president K Surendran when he said, "CPI(M) has become a Muslim party. The latest example of this is Pinarayi Vijayan's stand against the uniform civil code."

He further alleged that the goal of the Chief Minister of Kerala is to polarise Muslims. "Pinarayi Vijayan's goal is the polarisation of Muslims.

No Muslim parent will accept a triple talaq. Likewise, no Muslim parent will accept discrimination against girls in property rights," said the Kerala BJP state president.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Law and Justice meeting was held on Monday to discuss the issue of the Uniform Civil Code. Earlier, in an exclusive interview with ANI, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that the uniform code is "the need of the hour that a law should be made by uniting and including all the people of the country and the Supreme Court has also endorsed many of its verdicts".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent strong endorsement of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) brought it back to the spotlight. PM Modi said that the country cannot run on two laws and that Uniform Civil Code was part of the Constitution.

"Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also talks of equal rights...Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (Opposition) people are playing vote bank politics," PM Modi had said.