As expected, PM Modi brings up UCC in poll-bound MP

NT Correspondent, Agencies

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for the uniform civil code (UCC), saying the Constitution also mentions of having equal rights for all citizens. Addressing a gathering of party workers here, Modi also said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided it would not adopt the path of appeasement and vote bank politics. Modi said the opposition is using the issue of UCC to mislead and provoke the Muslim community.

“You tell me, in a home, how can there be one law for one member and another law for another member?” Modi said. “Will that home be able to function? Then how will the country be able to function with such a dual system? We have to remember that even in India’s Constitution, there is a mention of equal rights for all,” he said.

Reacting to this, Rashtriya Janata Dal spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha attacked Modi over his remarks on UCC, saying he should not make such issues an instrument of “dog-whistle politics”. “We are seeing that work is being done to instigate such people in the name of Uniform Civil Code. If there is one law for one member in a house and another for the other, will the house be able to run? So how will the country be able to run with such a dual system?” he said.

“Before speaking, the prime minister should have examined what the 21st law commission had said, deeply analysed debates of the constituent assembly without taking help because those out to help you, end up causing harm through you,” Jha said.

Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the Prime Minister can say anything, but "he has to answer the real questions of this country - unemployment, price rise a n d Mani - pur issue". "Manipur has been burning for the last 60 days. Why has the PM not uttered a single word? These are all diversionary issues. He wants to run away from the real issues of the country, that is why they are only trying to divert the issues," he said.

Congress leader Tariq Anwar reportedly claimed that the Prime Minister was practising polarization during his speech, he said, “When any law is made it is for everyone and they have to follow it. Then what is the need to discuss that bill which has already been passed? PM Modi is doing so because of upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections are ahead and they have done nothing for the country. Hence, they will talk about topics like Triple Talaq and Uniform Civil Code.”

Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader TKS Elangovan pointed out that if the PM thinks UCC is a good idea, then it should be introduced to the Hindus first. He reportedly said, "Uniform Civil Code should be first introduced in the Hindu religion. Every person including SC/ST should be allowed to perform pooja in any temple in the country. We don't want UCC only because the Constitution has given protection to every religion. It is a violation of fundamental rights, which a government is not supposed to do.”

PM Modi slammed the critiques of triple talaq and questioned why other countries have abolished the practice already, he said, “Whoever talks in favour of Triple Talaq, whoever advocates it, those vote bank hungry people are doing a great injustice to Muslim daughters. Triple talaq doesn't just do injustice to daughters. It is beyond this; the whole family get ruined. If it has been a necessary tenet of Islam, then why was it banned in countries like Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.”

Asaduddin Owaisi, the chief of All India Majlise-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) argued on Twitter about PM Modi's statements, he wrote, “Modi ji has said that there is a ban on triple talaq. Why is Modi ji getting his inspiration from Pakistani law? He even made a law against triple talaq here, but it did not make any difference at the ground level. Rather, the exploitation of women has "increased further"