The Uniform Civil Code was part and parcel of the Indian Constitution and suggested by its architects, said RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in what could be the first time the organisation has spoken about the controversy over the proposal. He said it was not an idea propagated by the BJP, and the Sangh had never approached the central government seeking its implementation.
In a conversation with News18, Hosabale said misunderstanding created over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will “further divide society”. “The uniform civil code, until it is implemented, has to be discussed in a democracy through a democratic process. That is why the law commission has asked for opinions. Many people may oppose it, but those who are doing it don’t know what the UCC is,” he said.
The RSS general secretary was in New Delhi to attend a programme on ‘Hindutva’s tryst with politics: Legacy of Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee’ on Thursday. “The UCC is not the idea of the BJP. It was suggested by the Constitution’s founding fathers. It is there in the directive principles. Why is it there in the directive principles? It is there because it is part of the Constitution. It is also part and parcel of the state’s structure, which means administration, governance, law framing etc can happen based on that. Muslims and Hindus must be speculating over several things, but the UCC is not only about those,” he said.
‘UCC includes larger socio-legal issues’
Hosabale talked about how the UCC was not only about polygamy or other social practices of Muslims. He said it was more about social and legal matters related to maintenance, inheritance, succession, tribals among others.
“When the Uttarakhand government appointed a committee including judicial officers, around 4.5 lakh people had given their opinion. Hardly 0.01% was anything about Muslim society; 99.9% was about maintenance, inheritance, marriage act, succession, property law, tribals. These things featured in the suggestions and opinions collected from the people,” he said.
He added: “In Telangana, a section of Muslims started a signature campaign saying they do not want UCC. They feel that if UCC is implemented, they cannot live here. Both the approaches (by Hindus and Muslims) are wrong.”
‘People need to be educated about actual content of UCC’
Hosabale further said the ruling party at the Centre, think tanks and the media should play an active role in educating people about the actual content of the UCC and what it stands for.
“I request the party people to educate people first. Think tanks, media personnel should educate people and explain what the UCC is,” he said.
He added: “The RSS never approached the government requesting them to bring the UCC. It never passed a resolution on it. Jana Sangh, a political party, talked about it and it is the party’s job to implement the Constitution while in power.”
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