Asking the government not to go ahead with the Sangh's agenda of imposing a Hindu Rashtra in the name of the Uniform Civil Code, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) warned that a dangerous precedent is being set that could comprise the idea of a secular India where the Constitution guarantees every individual the Right to Freedom of Religion.
"The way the Modi government is imposing the Uniform Civil Code, it is the Sangh's agenda for a Hindu Rashtra. This is a secular country and the Constitution of India guarantees every individual the Right to Religion and, if the government wants to impose the Sangh's agenda, it is very dangerous for a secular India," NCP leader Nawab Malik told ANI.
He, however, said if the government wants to introduce a Uniform Civil Code, it should happen through Parliament and not the courts.
"If they want to bring a Uniform Civil Code, it should happen through Parliament and not the courts. If they really want to discuss it in the interest of Muslim women, it should be discussed point-by-point," he added.
"Islamic laws don't have anything which is against Muslim women; may be people are not abiding by Islamic laws, which can be discussed. But the way, the BJP wants to impose the Sangh's agenda in this country is very dangerous. They are dealing with their personal matters under their own laws and if the government wants to impose the Sangh's agenda, it is very dangerous for secular India," warned Malik.
Former union law minister and Congress veteran M. Veerappa Moily had on Thursday also stated that the plurality, diversity and multiplicity is the real valuable culture of the country, and thus, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code is next to impossible in India.
Moily, who was reacting to the move of the Muslim Personal Law Board's (MPLB's) decision to boycott the Uniform Civil Law while terming it as "not good for the nation", said the concept and the design of India is unity in diversity.
"So, it is not a uniform, we have hindered castes, then have 100 personal laws. I think this is impractical and one can't implement personal laws that strongly govern the lives of the people of this country," Moily told ANI.
Former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, however, criticized Muslim bodies for their approach to the UCC.
"I think it is meaningless. It shows a very regressive mentality. They should, on the contrary, give answers and tell how triple talaq should be maintained or triple talaq be modified," he said.
"A Uniform Civil Code is one aspect, the main thing is the personal laws of any community with regard to gender equality and with regard to fundamental rights, because personal laws must yield to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, whether it's the Muslim community, the Hindu community or any other community." he added.
"A woman, a wife, cannot be treated as a commodity; that is the whole point. There should be some restriction in the way a husband exercises his right to divorce his wife by saying 'talaq talaq talaq'," Soli told ANI here.
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