Benoy Vishwam, MP, has said that the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is dangerous for the future of independent India and declared that the Left parties will resist efforts to force it upon citizens.
Inaugurating a symposium on ‘Uniform Civil Code: How to counter the Hindutva agenda’ in Kozhikode on Tuesday, he said the track record of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of harassing minorities was the reason for apprehensions about UCC.
“They claim that UCC is the only solution to gender discrimination faced by women from minority communities. They have cited the mention of UCC in Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, but failed to note that it also speaks against discrimination in the name of financial status and positions of power among others. Let the BJP address those discriminations before venturing into UCC,” he said.
Mr. Benoy called upon the religious authorities to ensure democracy within religions to ward off external interventions with malicious intent. He said seeds of division could endanger religions, and that the BJP would be the one to benefit from it.
He also urged Congress workers to read and understand Nehru and Ambedkar to form a solid opinion about UCC.
CPI(M) district secretary P. Mohanan pointed out that any social reformation should come from the respective communities through consensus, and that forcing them upon communities was not healthy. He said the BJP’s renewed interest in UCC came from a panic triggered by efforts by Opposition parties to form an anti-BJP coalition.
Presiding over the event, Minister for Ports Ahammad Devarkovil alleged that the BJP was trying to complete its political agenda through UCC, and that it would destroy the diversity of the nation. “It is not an issue that concerns only the Muslim community. It is an issue of the nation, and the nation should unite to protect its Constitution,” he said.
Representatives of several political, religious and cultural outfits in the State attended the symposium.
