AIMPLB condemns proposed implementation of Uniform Civil Code, calls it 'anti-constitutional', 'agenda-driven'

"This anti-constitutional move is not acceptable to Muslims at all. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns this and urges the government to refrain from such actions," the press note issued on Tuesday by the AIMPLB General Secretary reads.

New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday issued a press note condemning the proposed implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across India soon, as hinted by Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently. In a press release, General Secretary of the AIMPLB, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, said that the matter "has been brought up to divert attention from real issues and promote an agenda of hatred and discrimination".

"This anti-constitutional move is not acceptable to Muslims at all. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns this and urges the government to refrain from such actions," the AIMPLB General Secretary said. He said the Indian Constitution allows every citizen of the country to live according to his religion and deems it a person's fundamental right to do so.

"Under the same fundamental rights, separate personnel laws have been granted for minorities and tribal classes according to their customs, beliefs and traditions, which does not interfere with the constitution in any way. Rather, it helps maintain mutual trust between the minority and the majority communities," the statement read, adding in context how, in the past, the constitution has accommodated their beliefs and traditions in social life in order to put an end to many tribal uprisings.

"Now the adoption of the Uniform Civil Code by the Uttarakhand or Uttar Pradesh government or the central government is just a timeless rhetoric and everyone knows that the purpose behind the move is not to address issues such as rising inflation, falling economy and rising unemployment," the statement added, further alleging that the "sheer motif behind this implementation is to create hate and discrimination against a particular community".

Addressing an event in Bhopal on April 23, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the Uniform Civil Code is all set to be implemented in the state of Uttarakhand on a pilot basis and would soon be extended to the entire country. The BJP has long been advocating the uniform civil code which refers to uniform personal laws for all religions. The proposal is however seen as an attack on religious freedom by people of different faiths. The consent of the Parliament is necessary to implement the law in the country, while Article 44 of the Indian constitution makes a reference to the uniform civil code.