BJP Scores A Self-Goal On Uniform Civil Code Move And Manipur Clashes

By P. Sreekumaran

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Union Government’s failure to control the riots raging in Manipur and the move to bring in a uniform civil code in the country have evoked strong protests from the opposition parties not only in Kerala but also across the nation.

At one stroke, the Manipur fiasco has caused a severe setback to the BJP’s much-hyped Christian outreach programme in Kerala. Ironically, the Archbishop of Thalassery Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, Mar Joseph Pamplany has openly voiced his displeasure on the Prime Minister’s silence on Manipur. Pamplany had offered to help BJP to firm up the party’s foothold in Kerala if it ensured a better price for rubber. He criticized the Union Government for its inability to effectively handle the riots ravaging Manipur. Pamplany said during his US visit, the PM had said that there was no discrimination against the minorities in India.

The grim reality is that Christians are being hunted down selectively, Pamplany said, adding that more than 300 churches have been destroyed in Manipur.  Referring to the UCC issue, Pamplany said Parliament should discuss the issue before it being implemented. The Government, he said, should talk to all stakeholders and take them into confidence. The concerns of and apprehensions of the Muslim community should also be addressed, he added.

Meanwhile, Modi’s UCC pitch has further strengthened the opposition unity move across the country. In Kerala, The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the most important ally of the Congress in the United Democratic Front (UDF), has fired the first salvo by signalling its intent to oppose its implementation legally and politically. IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is raising the UCC issue because the BJP-led Union Government does not have any achievements to influence the voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Prime Minister, Kunhalikutty says, wants to divert the attention of the people from his Government’s failures by raising the UCC issue.

The IUML thinks that the spectacular Congress victory in the Karnataka Assembly election seems to have shaken the confidence of the Prime Minister and the BJP. The usual tactics of religious polarization failed to work in Karnataka. The formation of a united front by the opposition parties would also seem to have unnerved the BJP. Hence PM’s attempt to deliver the UCC spiel. But the tactic won’t succeed in securing victory in the upcoming assembly elections in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The coming days are likely to witness a combined opposition movement against the UCC.

BJP leaders in Kerala, have, however, sought to allay the apprehensions of the minorities. The Uniform Civil Code is not against any particular community, claimed Union Minister and senior BJP leader from Kerala, V. Muralidharan.  Since the courts have also ruled in favour of a uniform civil code, the Congress and the CPI(M) should refrain from misleading the Muslim community, he said. . The minister said that when Muthalaq was abolished, attempts were made to mislead the Muslim community. However, the decision benefited thousands of Muslim women. Moreover, thousands of women became beneficiaries of the Centre’s decision.

The Union Government’s decision to implement the Uniform Civil Code has angered the neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu as well. According to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, the Prime Minister has made a strong pitch for UCC to whip up communalism and win the parliamentary polls. (IPA Service)

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