As Pawan Kalyan calls on BJP on his behalf, Chandrababu Naidu surprises with UCC comment

TDP chief, who wants to tie up with BJP and Kalyan’s JSP in Andhra, assures Muslims that party will raise voice against UCC in Parliament if needed

TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu is pushing for a tripartite alliance of the TDP, the BJP, and the Jana Sena Party to take on CM Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP. (File Photo)

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After allies in the Northeast and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu came out against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), BJP’s potential alliance partner Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has said the party will stand by Muslims on the issue. This comes at a time when discussions are on about the TDP’s return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Despite the renewed warmth between the former allies, the TDP was not invited to the NDA’s meeting in Delhi on July 18. And now comes this statement. TDP president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is pushing for a tripartite alliance of the TDP, the BJP, and the Jana Sena Party (JSP) to take on CM Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in next year’s Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections.

Also Read | Uniform Civil Code: Why it can impact Hindu Undivided Family’s tax benefits

Naidu sounded cautious when he met Muslim leaders and scholars at the party headquarters in Mangalagiri in Guntur district on Thursday. “We will go through the UCC draft Bill and, if necessary, we will raise our voice in Parliament. We will also study the suggestions from the Muslim community on UCC. The TDP has always stood by Muslims and it will continue to do so.”

The representatives of Muslim outfits such as the Jammat Islami Hind, former TDP MLAs N M D Farooq, Jalil Khan and Chand Bhasha, and former MLC Ahmed Sharif urged Naidu not to support UCC. Saying that the TDP had always prioritised the welfare of Muslims and other minorities, Naidu said he would personally go through the draft UCC Bill and take the issue up with the Centre if it hampers the religious freedom of Muslims. He said the TDP would not take any decision that would go against the interests of Muslims.

JSP president Pawan Kalyan is seemingly acting as the go-between as the TDP and the BJP evaluate their positions and the benefits and drawbacks of a potential alliance. Kalyan met senior BJP leaders during the NDA conclave and is believed to have urged the party to agree to the idea of a tripartite alliance.

The talk of the TDP’s return to the NDA gathered pace after Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on June 4. But, with things seemingly cooling down since then, the TDP is banking on Kalyan to bring BJP leaders on board. Neither the JSP leader nor the BJP has commented on the matter.

Meanwhile, the YSRCP has not yet made its stand on UCC clear but on Wednesday Jagan Mohan Reddy, while sharing his opinion on the matter, said the streamlining of practices of various religions would only work if the Centre, the Law Commission, and the Supreme Court discussed it with various personal law boards.

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“Otherwise, it may not work in a country like India which is guided by diversity,” the CM said during an interaction with a delegation of Muslim leaders who met him to share their opinions on UCC. Reiterating that his government was committed to the well-being and welfare of minorities and weaker sections, Jagan requested the delegation to counter the “false propaganda” on the “rights of Muslim women under UCC”. Reddy told the delegation that the Centre had not yet prepared the UCC draft Bill and no one knows its content.

“The YSRCP government is your government and it is working for the interests of the weaker sections and minorities and it will not take any decision that hurts your sentiments. Don’t get unduly worried about it,” he said.