UDF in Kerala to protest UCC, Manipur violence

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) on Monday announced a series of protests against the Union government's move to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and its failure to curb the ethnic violence in Manipur.

Leader of Opposition and UDF chairperson V D Satheesan said the front has observed that the Sangh Parivar's move of initiating a discussion on UCC was an attempt to create a division in society. Sangh Parivar is an umbrella term used for a collection of right-wing organisations in the country.

The UDF has decided to organise a 'Bahuswaratha Sangamam' (roughly translated as a meet to defend pluralism) on July 29 in protest against the implementation of UCC, he said.

Satheesan said no party from the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) would be invited to the meeting. His statement came days after the CPI(M) announced that it will conduct a seminar on UCC on July 15 and that all secularminded parties would be invited, but not the Congress, saying it does not have a united stand on the matter.

The CPI(M) had invited the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a major ally of the UDF, for the seminar, but the Congress ally rejected the Left party's overtures to take part in its seminars.

The IUML had said that the Left party was trying to create "conflict" and "division" by not inviting the Congress. Addressing a press conference after the UDF meeting, Satheesan said his party will not "fall" into the trap laid by the BJP.

"Even the Union government has no idea about the UCC. There's no draft on UCC. There is no clarity. The Sangh Parivar initiated the talk on UCC to divide the people and the society," Satheesan said.

A strong political debate has been kicked off in the state over the UCC after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last week, made a strong push for implementing the civil code by asking how the country can function with dual laws that govern personal matters.

The northeastern state of Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 following violent clashes between members of the Meitei and Kuki communities with at least 150 people killed and several hundreds injured over the last two months. (PTI)