Taslima Nasreen pushes for UCC implementation in India: ‘Much needed in any civilised country’

Nasreen pushed for the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan to prevent discrimination, particularly against women.

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Sunday strongly pitched for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in India, asserting that such a law was essential to eliminate discrimination, particularly against women.

Exiled Bangladeshi Writer Taslima Nasreen returned to Kolkata after nearly 19 years. (ANI)

She also stressed the need for such a law in neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan.

"I have been fighting for the UCC for the past 40 years. This is much needed in any civilised country. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India need Uniform Civil Code. There should be equal laws for everyone. Women face a great deal of discrimination, and much of it can be removed through a UCC. It is essential," Nasreen told reporters at a press conference here.

Her remark comes after the West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state.

A government notification said the panel was formed in view of the "wide ramifications and voluminous nature" of the proposed legislation. The committee will undertake a comprehensive examination of the draft Bill before any further steps are taken, it said.

Referring to Bangladesh, the 63-year-old writer said equality was the cornerstone of civilisation, but many women continued to face discrimination.

"In Bangladesh, Hindu women do not have equal rights. They cannot inherit their father's property. If Hindu women are to enjoy freedom and equal rights, a Uniform Civil Code is necessary," she said.

Nasreen, who returned to Kolkata after nearly 19 years, was felicitated at a state government programme at Rabindra Sadan here on Saturday.

She had left Kolkata in 2007, when protests over the publication of her book 'Dwikhandito' (Split: A Life) forced the then Left Front government to move her out of the city.

The writer expressed anguish over the disruption during her felicitation ceremony in the city a day ago, saying she felt "insulted" after noted poet Joy Goswami was forced to leave the stage amid protests by a section of the audience.

"Not only was Joy insulted, but I was also insulted because I had invited him," Nasreen told reporters.

The controversy erupted when she invited Goswami onto the stage and requested him to address the gathering. However, loud objections from a section of the audience forced the poet to step down without speaking.

Recalling the incident, Nasreen said, "In my speech, I had spoken about freedom of expression. Everyone should be allowed to speak. It is not right to stop anyone from expressing their views."

Questioning the conduct of a section of the audience, she said, "Those who appreciated my speech were the ones who did not allow him to come on the stage. Didn't they also question me? It is contradictory. When someone speaks about freedom of expression, people support it, but when a poet is invited to speak, they do not want to hear him. That is not right."

Nasreen said that she would visit Goswami's residence in the city later on Sunday or on Monday.

"(After the incident), I have not got the opportunity to speak to Joy, but I will pay him a visit today or tomorrow," she said.freedom of

The exiled Bangladeshi author, however, expressed hope that such an incident would not recur in her favourite city in the future, saying Kolkata has always stood for free speech and democratic values.

"Kolkata is a city of progressives. People here believe in freedom of speech and the right to express one's views. People's political ideologies may differ, but everyone must be given the space to express one's opinions," Nasreen told reporters.

Asked to compare the regimes of the Left Front, the Trinamool Congress and the present BJP government in West Bengal, the writer praised the BJP-led dispensation for allowing her to visit Kolkata.

"There is, of course, a difference between the three governments. One government expelled me, another did not allow me to return, while the third has allowed me to come. Instead of focusing on those differences, I think, we should celebrate the fact that I have been able to come back. I am very happy that I could return. I want to believe that this government believes in the right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech," she said.

Nasreen was invited to Kolkata by an organisation called 'Secular Mission'.

She said the state government had subsequently provided her security cover and facilitated her visit to West Bengal.

Nasreen had on Saturday said her return to Kolkata after 19 years was proof that "injustice can be long but cannot be permanent", while asserting that her fight has always been for women's rights and freedom of expression, and not for or against any political party.

In 1994, she left Bangladesh in the face of death threats from radical groups over her writings and her views on religion.