The Kerala unit of the Congress will hold a leadership meeting on Wednesday to chalk out strategies and plan protests against the BJP-led union government’s push for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Though the meeting was earlier planned to pass resolutions against cases registered by the local police on state Congress president K Sudhakaran and leader of opposition (LoP) VD Satheesan, the agenda was changed Monday night to discuss the UCC issue in light of political developments in the state.
The state Congress was taken aback after the ruling CPM had announced seminars where Muslim bodies would participate.
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The ruling party even invited the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an ally of the Congress, and the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, an influential body of Sunni scholars, to the seminars.
CPM state secretary MV Govindan said that the Congress was not invited as it does not have a clear stand on the issue.
With 2024 elections approaching, the Congress is wary of the CPM’s moves to gain wider influence among the Muslim community, which form 25% of the state’s population as per the 2011 census.
It is also particularly alert about the CPM’s overtures to the IUML, one of its oldest allies.
The Congress meeting on Wednesday will be attended by all its MLAs, MPs, district presidents and other key office-bearers.
Another key meeting on the UCC will be held in Kozhikode on Tuesday under the leadership of the IUML in which all Muslim outfits have been invited.
UCC essentially means a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession for all citizens of the country, irrespective of religion.
Currently, different laws regulate these aspects for adherents of different religions and UCC is meant to do away with these inconsistent personal laws.
Article 44 of the Constitution, which is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy, lays down that the State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.
However, directive principles, as Article 37 clarifies, are not enforceable by courts.
