THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: RSS Akhila Bharata Saha Samparka Pramukh Arunkumar has said that identity politics being promoted by a section of politicians was impeding the implementation of Uniform Civil Code in the country despite it being a Constitutional mandate.
Speaking at an interactive session on Uniform Civil Code organised under the aegis of the RSS here on Wednesday, he said Uniform Civil Code had nothing to hurt the religious sentiments of any community or religion.
“In fact it is the appeasement of certain religious communities that is hindering the implementation of Uniform Civil Code. The discussion should go on to ask whether the country should be held a prisoner of identity politics. If we want to talk about secularism, equality and progress and the provisions of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 35 of the Constitution, the Uniform Civil Code should be implemented,” he said.
He pointed out that the real issue started with the cruel discrimination based on gender and it has nothing to do with minority or majority. If the Uniform Civil Code is implemented, it would trigger more radical changes even in the majority community. When the Hindu Code was made operational, the Hindu society accepted it. Even the minority Christian community also had no problem in accepting the reforms. It is only the Muslim clergy that is opposing the Uniform Civil Code, he pointed out.
Whenever there was discussion, the trend was to shift focus from the issue of discrimination and gender justice citing that it would be against the religious sentiments of a particular community.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice (retd) D Sreedevi said the implementation of Uniform Civil Code was the Constitutional mandate as it was important to ensure the fundamental rights of equality before justice, dignity of life irrespective of caste, creed and religion. She said the practice of triple talaq had nothing to do with even Sharia law. Referring to the instance of the Imrana case, she pointed out that the woman who was raped by her father-in-law was forced to accept him as her husband based on Muslim personal law. She also opined that the Mohammadan law prepared by a Parsi had not been through with Sharia law and several mistakes had crept in.
RSS Vibhag Chalak M S Rameshan and Vibhag Samaparka Pramukh Jayakumar attended.