HYDERABAD: Reacting to the tabling of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the Uttarakhand Assembly, AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi said that it was “nothing but a Hindu Code applicable for all”.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Owaisi alleged that Hindus and tribals have been exempted from the Bill. “If you want a uniform law for succession and inheritance, why are Hindus kept out of it? Can a law be uniform if it doesn’t apply to the majority of your state?” he wrote.
Pointing out that bigamy, halala and live-in relationships have become talking points, Owaisi said that no one was asking why the Hindu Undivided Family has been left untouched. The AIMIM chief asked how the Bill can be uniform if tribals are exempted.
Stating that inheritance and marriage are part of religious practice in Islam, he said that the Bill forces Muslims to follow a different religion and culture. This is a violation of Articles 25 and 29, Owaisi added.
He said that the Bill can only be enacted by Parliament as it contradicts central laws such as the Shariah Act, Hindu Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act (SMA) and Indian Succession Act (ISA). He questioned how the law can work without Presidential assent.
Stating that a voluntary UCC already exists in the form of SMA, ISA, Juvenile Justice Act and Domestic Violence Act, the AIMIM chief asked about the need to make it mandatory when BR Ambedkar himself didn’t call it mandatory.
Owaisi slammed Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for tabling the Bill while the state’s finances are in doldrums. “No one is asking why this was needed. According to the CM, his state faced losses of `1,000 crore due to floods. 17,000 hectares of agricultural land was submerged and crop losses were estimated to be over `2 crore. Uttarakhand’s finances are in doldrums, so Dhami feels the need to table this,” Owaisi added.