Muslim organisations in Kerala to challenge UCC in court and in politics

Major Muslim organisations in Kerala vowed to use legal and political means to “fight” the UCC. The organisations, led by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), asserted that if UCC is put into effect, it will have an impact on people other than Muslims.

“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.

MLA and senior IUML figure PK Kunhalikutty claimed that UCC is being used as a tool to split people along racial and ethnic lines. The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muslim Education Society, and Muslim Service Society were also represented at the meeting in addition to IUML.

The Kerala State Congress is gathering on Wednesday, and it’s anticipated that they’ll talk about the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). All MLAs, MPs, district presidents, and other top officials will attend the meeting of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.

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 the reporters 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.

“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.