MyVoice: Views of our readers 8th February 2024

UCC will curb Muslims’ personal rights

The BJP government in Uttarakhand tabled an ordinance on Uniform Civil Code in an autocratic manner which is absolutely anti-Muslim. The government is trying to pass the bill without a debate and in violation of legislative traditions. The proposed UCC is interfering with Muslims’ personal laws like Iddath and Halala. Who is the government to interfere in one’s personal religious matters? The tribal population has been exempted from the UCC. If scheduled tribes can be kept outside the ambit of the law and other minorities are included, then how it is called Uniform Civil Code? Why not Muslims can be kept outside the ambitious of the law? The UCC is an attempt to suppress cultural religious freedom of citizens.

Zeeshan, Kazipet

Bid to impose Hindutva on society

It is a Marxist maxim that the ideology of the ruling class is made the ruling ideology of a society. It is very true of India where the ruling elites have succeeded, to a great extent, in making the Hindutva ideology the ruling ideology of the masses, as is clear from its overarching appeal. The upcoming Lok Sabha election will only tell whether it has diminished or not. The repudiation of this virulent ideology equating nationalism with religion and vice versa and the acceptance of what is referred to as ‘Nehruvian secularism’ have become necessary for India to stay a pluralist democracy. The heterogeneous Indian society, made up of disparate races and religions, is not amenable to being homogenized, however hard the Hindu Right tries, using its political dominance and parliamentary majority.

G David Milton, Maruthancode, TN

Ajit Pawar firmly in the saddle

The Election Commission’s decision on Tuesday evening that the Nationalist Congress Party and its election symbol should be handed over to Ajit Pawar has come as a big blow to the original founder of NCP and Maharashtra’s senior-most politician Sharad Pawar. The Sharad Pawar faction was given a one-time concession to choose a new name and symbol for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections for six seats in Maharashtra. The dispute in the NCP came to light on July 2, 2023, when Ajit Pawar, along with eight MLAs, joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. As per the documents submitted to the EC, Ajit Pawar had signed a letter informing the EC of the split two days before that. Both the leaders of AIADMK Palanisamy and Shinde got the same status in recent times. Now Ajit Pawar is firmly in the saddle.

Calicut Ramanathan, Bengaluru

Move to curb States’ economic rights

Karnataka and Kerala are raising voice against Centre’s tax devolution policies that harm States’ economic rights not in tune with federal spirit.Their apprehensions are not without base. The tax devolution policies are biased in favour of the Central government. Since the beginning of GST regime, the states are getting lesser share from the centre than before, apart from their hands are tied down in taxation. The States have little elbow room in making their own economic plans, thanks to the raised centre’s grip over finances. The States are unfairly being controlled in the matters of ceiling on borrowings.All states should discuss the matter above political leanings and find a way to protect the interests.

Dr DVG Sankara Rao, Vizianagaram