THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala is set to escalate its opposition to the Central government’s proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) by introducing a resolution in the state Assembly on Tuesday.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the resolution, initiating comprehensive discussions amongst both Left and Congress MLAs. The resolution urges the Central government to withdraw its UCC proposal, according to credible sources within the Left government.
CM Vijayan has repeatedly asserted that the BJP’s “electoral agenda” is driving the UCC discourse and has called on the Centre to abandon its imposition.
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Vijayan, a senior leader of the CPI (M), has criticized the Centre’s initiative as a step toward implementing the “majority communal agenda of ‘one nation, one culture’,” which, he argues, threatens the nation’s cultural diversity.
In recent weeks, multiple religious groups representing the Muslim community have convened seminars and conferences across Kerala, with participation from both CPI (M) and Congress leaders. Muslim organizations such as Jamaat E Islami, Jem Iyyathul Ulema, EP Sunni, and AP Sunni have expressed their concerns about the UCC’s potential to erode societal pluralism and stoke communal divisions.
Islamic scholar Jiffri Muthukoya Thangal said, “We believe that the UCC contradicts the nation’s ethos, and the central government should reconsider its stance. We intend to raise this matter with the Prime Minister and await his response.”
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The Congress party, in collaboration with its principal ally IUML, has also rallied against the UCC throughout the state.
In contrast, the BJP has criticized both the Congress and the CPI (M) for pandering to appeasement politics in the state.
The resolution is expected to find favor in the assembly, given the unified opposition from both the LDF and the UDF against the bill. With no significant opposing faction, the bill’s passage in the assembly appears likely.