NEW DELHI: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday hit back at Union home minister Amit Shah’s announcement that BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states would implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before 2029, questioning whether the BJP’s allies had an independent political voice.Owaisi said the allies should demonstrate that they were not merely “choti BJP”, while arguing that the UCC was not about equality but about targeting Muslims.In a post on X, Owaisi said the Law Commission appointed by the NDA government had concluded that a UCC was “neither necessary nor desirable” for India.Speaking to news agency ANI, Owaisi said the BJP was pursuing the UCC not for equality but to target Muslims. He alleged that the move was contrary to constitutional provisions including Articles 14, 25, 26 and 29.“The very soul and spirit of this country is pluralism,” Owaisi said, adding that he believed the BJP and RSS were attempting to impose Hindu law on non-Hindus.
Owaisi challenges BJP to implement UCC in Goa
Owaisi also challenged Shah, the BJP and RSS to implement in Goa the same UCC framework introduced in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam.“Go ahead and implement it in Goa,” Owaisi said, referring to the BJP’s stated plans for the state. He questioned whether the party would actually introduce the same UCC there.Owaisi also cited provisions he said exist under Goa’s current legal framework, including provisions concerning second marriages in certain circumstances and exemptions relating to Catholic marriages and divorce proceedings.He said these provisions raised questions about the BJP’s argument for a uniform legal framework across religions.
Owaisi targets ‘disturbed areas’, ‘love jihad’ laws
Owaisi also questioned the BJP’s support for the UCC while BJP-ruled states have laws such as the Disturbed Areas Act, which he said prevents Hindus and Muslims from freely transferring property between each other.“It’s ironic that the BJP wants a UCC while its own states pass laws like the Disturbed Areas Act, which prohibit the sale of property between Muslims and Hindus,” he said.Owaisi also referred to laws concerning “love jihad”, alleging that such provisions had been applied against Muslims and Christians.“A UCC isn’t about equality; it’s about targeting Muslims,” he said.
Shah says UCC will be implemented before 2029
Shah had on Sunday said BJP-led NDA governments in all 21 states under their rule would introduce the UCC before 2029.“We have introduced the Uniform Civil Code in several states, and I am confident that in the 21 BJP-NDA-ruled states, we will introduce the UCC before 2029,” Shah said in Mumbai.The UCC proposes a common set of personal laws covering matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, irrespective of religion.Owaisi also drew a parallel with the controversy surrounding the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the anti-CAA/NRC protests of 2019.He alleged that Shah’s “misplaced arrogance” and “chronology” had contributed to the protests and recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had clarified at the time that no NRC was going to be implemented.
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Owaisi said a similar situation was now unfolding around the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which he alleged had caused hardship, particularly to minorities, SC/STs and migrants.He warned that an NRC would be “100 times worse” and referred to the experience in Assam.“The National Register of Citizens will force everyone to stand in line and prove their citizenship. In a country where 80 crore people depend on ration for food, you want them to find documents and prove their citizenship?” he said.
