Opposition parties on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comments on the UCC with the Congress saying he was making such remarks only to divert attention from the real issues like unemployment and Manipur violence and AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi asking whether the country’s pluralism would be “snatched away” in the name of the UCC.
Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said the Prime Minister can say anything, but “he has to answer the real questions of this country - unemployment, price rise and Manipur issue”.
“Manipur has been burning for the last 60 days. Why has the PM not uttered a single word? These are all diversionary issues. He wants to run away from the real issues of the country, that is why they are only trying to divert the issues,” he said.
Addressing a gathering of party workers in Bhopal, the Prime Minister made a strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying the Constitution calls for equal rights for all citizens. Modi also said the opposition is using the issue of UCC to mislead and provoke the Muslim community.
Hitting back, Owaisi asked whether the country’s pluralism and diversity would be “snatched away” in the name of UCC. “It seems Modi did not understand Obama’s advice properly. Will the PM end ‘Hindu Undivided Family’. (law) Because of HUF, the country is losing Rs 3064 crores every year.
“When PM Modi speaks about UCC, he is speaking of Hindu Civil Code. I challenge him to abolish Hindu Undivided Family (law), can he do so,” he asked.
“They are also opposing reservations for backward Muslims. His government has stopped scholarships for poor Muslims. If Pasmanda Muslims are being exploited, what is Modi doing about it? Before seeking votes from Pasmanda Muslims, BJP workers should go door-to-door and apologise that their spokespersons and MLAs tried to insult our Dear Prophet,” Owaisi tweeted.
State minister and senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary also alleged that by touching upon the UCC, Modi was aiming at communal polarisation. RJD leader Manoj Jha said the Prime Minister should not make such issues an instrument of “dog-whistle politics”.
“Before speaking, the Prime Minister should have examined what the 21st law commission had said, deeply analysed debates of the constituent assembly without taking help because those out to help you, end up causing harm through you,” Jha said. Jha said the Hindu religion also has a lot of diversity and it cannot be painted with one brush.