Omkar Dattatray
Hindu Rashtra may be the motto of VHP, RSS, Bagrang Dal, Durga Vahani and other Hindutva organizations but BJP does not work for a Hindu Rashtra as it believes in Indian diversity, secularism and pluralism.
BJP’s UCC agenda is not even remotely connected with the concept of Hindu Rashtra. Although Uniform Common Code has remained as the agenda and has also been in the election manifesto of BJP from the days of its earlier incarnation as Bharatiya Jana Sangh and in its current incarnation from 1985 and has been an agenda item in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The UCC will lead to justice in civil matters and it will in no way lead to uniformity in religious practices but will only result in civil justice. It is very unfortunate and disturbing that much unwarranted and unbecoming politicking is being done in the country by so called secular brigade and this results in delay in the legislating and implementing UCC for all Indians irrespective of the religious affiliation. Unfortunately and deliberately misinformation, disinformation and false information is being created among the Muslim community about the UCC. Suspicion, doubt and mistrust is intentionally created by the selfish political parties and some Muslim organizations which is without any sound basis. Muslims are being demonized on the issue of UCC and impression is being created among the minorities that the proposed legislation and subsequent implementation of UCC is against the Muslim community and thus Muslims should oppose this important and well needed move tooth and nail. Several political parties and leaders are creating the impression among the Muslims that UCC is against their interests and is undue interference in their religion which is a wrong analogy. The political parties should desist from politicizing the important and needful issue of UCC for their petty political interests and they should also not create false and wrong suspicion, doubt, mistrust in the minds of the Muslim community about the implications and bearings of the implementation of the common civil code and thus false fear is created among the minorities about the consequences of the implementation of the common civil code.
The hard fact and reality is this that UCC is not against any religion and it only will ensure equal treatment in civil matters to all citizens irrespective of their religion and so why is there so much noise and din about the UCC? It is so unfortunate and sad that a feeling is created, raised as well as nursed that UCC implementation is the first step towards the creation of Hindu state of India, which has no base and it factually wrong and false. The fact is that the UCC has nothing to do with the creation of a Hindu state and this false impression and misinformation is spread across the country that UCC is a first step towards the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra ,while the fact is that it is not connected with Hindu state in any way.
UCC will only ensure equal treatment and fair justice to all the citizens in the civil matters.
Progressive, modern and dynamic Muslims are in favor of the UCC and especially the Muslim women support the enforcing and implementation of the common civil code as they want freedom from male domination and male chauvinism and thus they favor the implementation of a common civil code for all citizens irrespective of their religious affiliation.
The hard fact is that UCC is not connected in any way with the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra and those espousing the false notion that UCC will ultimately lead to a Hindu state of India should instead appreciate that India cannot be declared as a Hindu Rashtra as it is a multi -religious ,multilingual, multi cultural and multidimensional country and secularism and Sarva Dharma Sambhava is the foundation stone and root of this great nation and thus Hindu Rashtra is a utopian hypothesis and it can be possible only at the cost of the disintegration of the country.
Therefore it is a false and wrong theory that UCC is the first step towards the creation of a Hindu state by the Saffron party.
Indian Muslims are as good and as equal citizens as the Hindus and the UCC will ensure uniformity in civil matters just like it is there for all including Muslims in criminal matters and so there should be no reservation and opposition for legislating and implementing the UCC for all Indians.
The so called secular satraps are creating a mountain out of a mole hill as they are creating mistrust and distrust about the needful and much important issue of a common civil code .Constitution mandates and directs that government should legislate and implement common civil code for all its citizens. Article 44 of the constitution provides that the state shall strive to provide a uniform civil code for all Indians .It is the great irony that our state has disregarded the constitutional provisions regarding the UCC. Even the supreme court has umpteen times directed the government to implement the uniform civil code for its citizens but our governments did not implement it in the 75 years of its independence because of the vote bank politics and minority appeasement. Now a piquant turn is given to this important issue of public importance as a wrong notion and impression is being created among the Muslims that the implementation of common civil code is the first step of the BJP to create a Hindu state, but it has no base at all.
India being a diverse nation, is home to many religions, each with its distinct personal laws governing marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession.
It would be accurate to say that the absence of a uniform civil code has only served to perpetuate inequalities and inconsistencies in our land of rich diversity.
In fact this has been a hindrance in the nation’s progress towards social harmony economic and gender justice. There is great need and necessity of UCC in our country for ensuring equality ,uniformity and gender justice.
PM Narendra Modi has called for enactment of a UCC ,pointing out the anomaly of having varying laws for different categories of citizens.
To great dismay Noble Laureate Amartya Sen questioned the urgency to implement the uniform civil code. We have to ensure that UCC is not misused in the name of religion said Amartya Sen. Amartya Sen expressed skepticism about the central government’s push for UCC saying the urgency to implement the UCC had connections with paying the way for a Hindu Rashtra. We have had the UCC for thousands of years. It is nothing new. But one has to see who benefits from bringing the UCC in force. There is definitely some connection between the urgency to implement the UCC and paving the way for the far -fetched idea of Hindu Rashtra, said 90 year old noble prize winner. But he should not have said such a false and wrong thing at such an advanced age. Amartya Sen said the concept of uniform civil code though not a new one is a difficult issue.
The 90 year old economist also said the UCC surely has a link with advancing the idea of Hindu Rashtra. The Uniform Civil Code is a difficult and old issue .There are differences among us There are differences of religions, there are differences in rule and customs. We need to remove those differences and be united. He further said, “But Hindu Rashtra is not the only way for progress .Hinduism is being misused,” said the Bharat Ratna awardee.
The whole debate is because of the Law Commissions June 14 fresh consultation process on UCC by seeking views from stakeholders including public and recognized religious organizations on a politically sensitive issue.
It is so sad that a man of such a great stature has said that urgency to enact the UCC is surely linked to paying way for a Hindu Rashtra.
To conclude it can be opined that the important and needful issue of UCC has nothing to do with the Hindu Rashtra and it is basically false to comment in the way which has the potential of creating communal tensions in our diverse country.
