‘Leaders don’t want Muslims to become Indian for vote-bank politics; community wants UCC’: RSS leader Indresh Kumar

The majority of Muslims in India, especially women, want the Uniform Civil Code to be implemented post-haste, senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar said Monday. Talking to Firstpost, Kumar was responding to the News18 survey on UCC that threw up some explosive revelations, primary among them being that an overwhelming majority of Muslim women wanted the enactment of the Uniform Civil Code in India and wanted equal rights when it came to marriage, divorce and inheritance. “In India, the majority of Muslims was UCC to be implemented as soon as possible since they are of the opinion that their religious and political leaders have been exploiting them for vote bank. They want to come out of this quagmire and be a full citizen of India as well as be faithful to their religion,” Indresh Kumar told Firstpost. He said the religious leaders of the Muslim community in India “do not want Muslims to become India”. He also cited the severe exploitation of women in the absence of UCC. “Muslim women have suffered huge exploitation, so they want the UCC as soon as possible,” Kumar said. Kumar also suggested extending the consultation process by the Law Commission so that more views could be taken into consideration. “I think the Law Commission could also extend the time so that more and more people could voice their views. Also, it might give more clarity on the issue and lacunae, if any, could be plugged. Moreover, this exercise will also shut down the rabble-rousers,” Kumar said. Kumar pointed to an entire machinery that was trying to foment trouble by misleading the Muslim community. “Some people want to turn the Muslims in the wrong direction. They suggest that the religious article of Muslims would be tinkered with, but this is all a lie. If such was the case, other religions too would have raised issues, but they are all supporting it.”