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Kerala Cong set to discuss its stand on UCC today
Leaders of the Congress see it as a calculated move to attract the Muslim community ahead of general elections next year
KOCHI: Ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress in Kerala on Wednesday at which the central agenda will be the controversial issue of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), leaders of the party are advocating a strong campaign against it to counter ‘malicious strategies’ of the CPI(M).
The Left in Kerala was the first off the block to announce a series of seminars and awareness programmes as part of its campaign against the UCC and even rubbed salt in the wounds of the Congress by inviting its oldest ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to participate in them. Leaders of the Congress see it as a calculated move to attract the Muslim community ahead of general elections next year. Muslims comprise about 25% of the state’s population, as per the census.
While the AICC had said that the UCC was undesirable at this stage and that it will comment on it when a draft bill or report comes up, the Kerala unit is likely to chart strategy and protest mode in the backdrop of the CPM’s belligerent campaign against the proposal. The KPCC meeting will be attended by all MLAs, MPs, district presidents and top office-bearers.
“We must unleash a strong campaign against the uniform civil code and expose the double standards of the CPM when it comes to personal laws. That’s what I am going to say at the KPCC meeting tomorrow. What form the protest will take, the party will decide,” said AA Shukkoor, former MLA and party general secretary.
“The UCC is a political goal of the BJP in view of elections next year and the Congress can never be seen in favour of the law. We have to take a stand in the national interest. As for the CPM, it has malicious strategies regarding the issue. At the time of the Shah Bano case verdict, the CPM had criticised the then decision of the Rajiv Gandhi government. But its leader and former CM EMS Namboodiripad has spoken against the Shariat laws and ran a campaign against it. What is Sitaram Yechury’s stand on EMS’ remarks. Will they correct it?” he asked.
S Ashokan, KPCC general secretary, echoed the views of his colleague and said the Congress will be compelled to take a strong stand against UCC especially with CPM making it a hot topic of discussion.
“CPM is very good at religious polarisation and it is ready for any kind of gambling. Unfortunately, the Muslim community is not realising the traps the CPM is setting. They should ask the CPM what it’s past leaders thought about Shariat,” he said.
While the CPM and Congress have similar positions on UCC, Ashokan said there is no chance for joint protests on the issue in the state.
“At the national level, both parties are in agreement on most issues, but in Kerala, it is impossible (to come together). The state’s politics will get polluted if that happens. It will be an unnatural alliance,” he said.
PC Thomas, former MP and deputy chairman of the regional Kerala Congress party, said the issue of UCC is likely to be discussed at a meeting of the UDF constituents in the days to come. UDF is the alliance that Congress leads in the state.
“Personal laws concerning marriage, divorce, inheritance etc of different faiths have existed in India even before the formation of the Constitution. There are no reasons to reject these laws now as I find there are no deficiencies in them,” he said.
The former MP also underlined that protests are not necessary now as the Centre has not brought forward a draft bill yet.
Meanwhile, a meeting convened by the IUML of various Muslim outfits in Kozhikode on Tuesday decided to fight the issue of UCC legally and politically.
“This is not an issue to be fought and won on the streets. We will fight it legally and politically as we will need the support of all parties. There should never be any kind of religious polarisation in society,” Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, state president of IUML, told reporters Tuesday.
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