Uniform Civil Code an attempt to impose 'Hindu Civil Code' on non-Hindus: Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday claimed the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Maharashtra is an attempt to impose 'Hindu Civil Code' on non-Hindus. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday claimed the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Maharashtra is an attempt to impose 'Hindu Civil Code' on non-Hindus.

(PTI/File)Addressing a news conference here, Owaisi said his party will oppose the passage of UCC in the state legislature and its implementation in Maharashtra governed by the BJP and its allies. "It is evident that the Devendra Fadnavis government will implement UCC," he said.

The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad raised concerns on the questionnaire issued by the state government as part of the UCC process ahead of its implementation. He claimed the questionnaire does not speak anything on Hindu Undivided Family and is silent on the definition of the UCC.

Owaisi argued that just like what happened in Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, bringing the UCC in Maharashtra is just a way to impose 'Hindu Civil Code' on non-Hindus. The UCC is also a conspiracy to impose the Hindu Marriage Act, the Hindu Succession Act, and the Indian Succession Act on non-Hindus, he claimed.

"Our opposition is to the UCC, especially the one being brought by the BJP. It is an attempt to snatch our main religious practices which have the protection of fundamental rights," the MP added. Owaisi said under the proposed UCC, divorce is being treated according to the Hindu Marriage Act and has the provision of one-year judicial-mandated separation.

However, Islam gives the right of 'khula' (divorce) to women, he said. The AIMIM leader claimed that after the Centre made instant triple talaq a punishable offence, cases of a man deserting his wife have increased and this has impacted Muslim women.

He asked why there was no law for people in multiple relations despite having a spouse. On opposition's criticism that the AIMIM was a 'B-team' of the BJP, Owaisi said he was ready for an alliance with the Opposition parties in Maharashtra for elections in the past, but did not get any response from them.

Owaisi said in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due in early 2027, the AIMIM was ready for an alliance with the Samajwadi Party, but "lal topi" (referring to the SP) called him Ravan. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday defended his government's decision to draft a UCC, asserting that the Constitution itself directs states to work towards its implementation.

Hitting back at Owaisi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Fadnavis said that the UCC is rooted in the Constitution's Directive Principles of State Policy. He also alleged that the Opposition was trying to orchestrate street protests similar to those seen in neighbouring countries.