Owaisi says Maharashtra's proposed UCC is an attempt to impose a 'Hindu Civil Code' on non-Hindus

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi claimed on Tuesday that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) proposed in Maharashtra is an attempt to impose a "Hindu Civil Code" on non-Hindus. Speaking at a press conference here, he said his party would oppose the passage of the UCC in the legislature. It would also oppose its implementation in Maharashtra, which is ruled by the BJP and its allies.

"It is clear that the Devendra Fadnavis government will implement the UCC," Owaisi said. The Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad questioned the questionnaire issued by the state government as part of the UCC process. He claimed that the questionnaire says nothing about the Hindu undivided family and is also silent on the definition of the UCC.

Owaisi argued that bringing the UCC to Maharashtra is the same method of imposing a "Hindu Civil Code" on non-Hindus as seen in Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. According to him, it is also a conspiracy to impose the Hindu Marriage Act, the Hindu Succession Act and the Indian Succession Act on non-Hindus.

"Our opposition is to the UCC, especially the one the BJP is bringing. It is an attempt to take away those core religious practices of ours that are protected as fundamental rights," the MP said. According to Owaisi, the proposed UCC treats divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act, which provides for a one-year separation by court order.

He said Islam gives women the right to "khula" (divorce). The AIMIM leader claimed that cases of men abandoning their wives have risen since the Centre made instant triple talaq a punishable offence, and that Muslim women have been affected. He asked why there is no law for those who stay in multiple relationships while having a spouse.

The opposition alleges that AIMIM is the BJP's "B-team". Responding, Owaisi said his party had earlier been ready to ally with opposition parties for elections in Maharashtra but received no reply. He said that in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due in early 2027, AIMIM was ready to ally with the Samajwadi Party, but the "red cap" (a reference to the SP) called him Ravana.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday defended his government's decision to draft the UCC. He said the Constitution itself directs states to work towards implementing it.

Replying to Owaisi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Fadnavis said the roots of the UCC lie in the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution. He also alleged that the opposition is trying to engineer street protests like those seen in neighbouring countries.