CPI-M invites Muslim League, Samastha at national seminar against UCC

The CPI-M has invited the Muslim League and the Samastha at the national seminar against the UCC on July 15. While Samastha has confirmed its participation, the Muslim League will hold a meeting tomorrow to decide the issue.

Kozhikode:A political war of words has ensued in Kerala after the CPI-M invited the Muslim League at its national seminar against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) keeping the Congress uninvited.

Inviting the Muslim League, which is a part of Kerala's anti-Left front and excluding Congress has come up as an issue of political discussion. CPI-M national general secretary Sitaram Yechury will inaugurate the seminar in Kozhikode on July 15.

Confirming the invitation, Muslim League leader PMA Salam said that a decision on participating at the seminar will be taken by the party's state leadership following discussion. The Muslim League state leadership will meet tomorrow to discuss the issue.

Along with the Muslim League, Samastha (Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama), a council of principal Sunni-Shafi'i scholars, which is a prominent Muslim organisation in Kerala has also been invited at the seminar. Samastha has accepted the invitation.

The CPI-M's move is considered to be an effort to garner support of the prominent Muslim organisations. While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and top leaders of the CPI-M have strongly protested against the UCC, Congress state leadership is using the only pro-UCC statements made in 1987 by former CPI-M national general secretary and first Kerala chief minister EM Sankaran Namboothiripad to counter CPI-M's current position.

With the Lok Sabha elections next year, the CPI-M is trying to change the political equation in Kerala by protesting against the UCC and getting the support of Muslim organisations. A section of the Muslim League is interested in supporting the CPI-M on the issue but the other section is against it.

Again, Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama's nod to participate in the seminar is a strong blow to both the Muslim League and the Congress. The Congress has termed the CPI-M's stand was hypocritical while CPI-M said that the Congress state leadership has not officially responded against the UCC.