The vexed question of the Uniform Civil Code could not have come at a worse time. With the elections round the corner in Uttar Pradesh, the state having the highest Muslim voters, any wrong step by the Centre can have disastrous consequences. The first dissenting voice came from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board which on October 13, 2016, said that it would boycott the law panel alleging it to be biased.
Talaq,Talaq, Talaq, V/s Uniform Civil Code
Maulana Wali Rahmani, General Secretary, APMPLB, said that the law commission is not an independent body and is acting at the bidding of the Central Government. Rahmani found the questionnaires seeking the public’s reaction on the triple talaq and Uniform Civil Code objectionable. The Maulana alleged that it is a form of cheating and a ploy to force impose a Uniform Civil Code.
Rahmani talked about the diversity of faiths in the Indian State and all live and peacefully co-exist which is reflected in the constitution. However, persons are trying to break the country in the name of Uniform Civil Code. The General Secretary did not stop there and alleged that the Modi Government is seeking to hide its failures by imposing the Code.
BJP Hits Back
BJP has sharply reacted to these allegations. It hit back at the Board and said that what it calls a fraud is a decision by the Supreme Court. The present exercise was not started as a knee jerk response but under an initiative of the Supreme Court and the Centre is only providing a platform to all the stakeholders to discuss this issue and this is what democracy is all about. It is the Board’s call if it does not want to engage with a constitutional component.
The party also denied the charge that it is destroying the social fabric of the society and referred to the Constitution which envisages every citizen to protect the other’s rights. Hence if the sanctity of the Constitution is maintained, the social fabric is also maintained.