Congress Party In Kerala Convenes Meeting To Strategize Against BJP's UCC Push And React To Political Shifts

On Wednesday, the Kerala division of the Congress party will convene a leadership meeting to devise strategies and organize demonstrations against the BJP-led central government's efforts to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Initially, the meeting was scheduled to address resolutions regarding the legal cases filed against the state Congress president K Sudhakaran and leader of the opposition VD Satheesan by the local police. However, on Monday night, the agenda was modified to focus on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) issue in response to recent political developments in the state.

The state Congress was surprised by the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) announcing seminars in which Muslim organizations would participate.

The ruling party went as far as extending invitations to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a Congress ally, and the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, a prominent organization of Sunni scholars, for the seminars.

CPM state secretary MV Govindan stated that the Congress was not invited because it lacks a definitive stance on the matter.

As the 2024 elections draw nearer, the Congress party is cautious of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) making efforts to expand its influence within the Muslim community, constituting 25% of the state's population according to the 2011 census. The Congress is particularly attentive to the CPM's outreach towards the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), one of its long-standing allies.

The Congress gathering scheduled for Wednesday will be attended by all its Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Members of Parliament (MPs), district presidents, and other key officials.

Additionally, another significant meeting regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will take place in Kozhikode on Tuesday under the leadership of the IUML, inviting all Muslim organizations to participate.

In essence, the UCC refers to a unified set of laws governing personal matters like marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance, and succession for all citizens of the country, regardless of their religion.

At present, diverse personal laws govern these matters for followers of different religions, and the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) aims to eliminate these inconsistent laws

Article 44 of the Constitution, categorized as one of the Directive Principles of State Policy, states that the State should strive to establish a uniform civil code for all citizens across India's territory. Nevertheless, it should be noted that directive principles, as clarified by Article 37, are not legally binding and cannot be enforced by courts.