UCC issue brought to divert public attention, says Owaisi; sumbits response to Law Commission

Hyderabad: Coming down heavily on the NDA government at the Centre for proposing to implement the Uniform Civil Code, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said the UCC is being talked about in order to divert the public's attention from issues such as “poverty, unemployment, price-rise and Chinese intrusion”.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, the Hyderabad MP said he will soon meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to seek his support and request his party to vote against UCC if any bill is introduced in Parliament.

He also said his party All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen has sent its response along with the retired Supreme Court Judge Gopala Gowda’s legal opinion on the subject, to the law Commission’s appeal for suggestions on the UCC.

Dubbing the Law Commission's request to send opinions on the UCC a political exercise to divert the attention of the public from important issues, Owaisi questioned the veracity of the Centre's move of bringing the issue forward before elections.

“Our belief is that this political exercise which is going on is to impose an unnecessary 'mahol' (atmosphere) in the country before Lok Sabha elections so that the public attention is diverted from issues such as poverty, unemployment, price-rise, and China which has occupied our land,” he said.

“This is not a coincidence that exactly after five years again the Law commission is undertaking this exercise. Like a clockwork, five or six months before the general elections BJP raises this issue. The aim is to vitiate the atmosphere and polarise the electorate so that they reap political gains in the coming 2024 elections,” he said.

On the Uttarakhand government’s decision to implement UCC in the northern state, he said, citing Justice Gopala Gowda’s legal opinion, it is not sustainable in law.

The response submitted to the Law Commission by the MIM Party questioned if UCC will not violate some provisions of the Constitution of India and if exceptions may be created for certain groups – then what shall be the basis of such exceptions.

The party sought that the Law Commission clarify doubts and address issues mentioned in the response in order to have a comprehensive national debate on the same.