Kerala Assembly passes resolution against Centre’s Uniform Civil Code move

The resolution said that the Assembly considered the plan to implement a UCC a communal move that could be “detrimental to the unity of the country”.

Pointing out that secularism was guaranteed in the very Preamble to the Constitution, the resolution said the Constitution gave citizens the freedom to believe in any religion and live accordingly.

While the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution includes the right to follow and practise religious personal rules, any legislation preventing that practice would amount to a denial and violation of this constitutional right.

Today, the Kerala Assembly resoundingly passed a resolution against the Union Government’s unilateral and hasty move to impose the #UniformCivilCode. The implementation of the UCC without engaging in democratic debate or seeking consensus poses a significant threat to the unity… pic.twitter.com/zFk4pn7fWH

— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) August 8, 2023

The resolution also said that Article 44 of the Constitution, which mentions UCC, only says that the state shall endeavour to bring in a common civil code, and that this should be done over a period of time through consensus and discussions.

“It is a matter of concern that the Union government has come forward with a unilateral move to implement UCC without taking any attempt to create a consensus over the issue among the different segments of society,” the resolution said.

Reacting to the resolution on Tuesday, the BJP’s Kerala unit president K Surendran said the CPI(M) and the Congress were using the platform of the Assembly for “religious polarisation”.