'Dog-whistle politics': Opposition parties slam PM Modi's UCC remarks in Madhya Pradesh

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignited a debate on Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Opposition parties on Tuesday said it was an attempt to distract people's attention from problems like price rise, unemployment, and the Manipur situation and urged the prime minister to not leverage such sensitive issues as an "instrument for dog-whistle politics".

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the prime minister should first talk about poverty, price rise, and unemployment. "He will never talk about Manipur where violence has continued for the past over 50 days. He has not spoken even a word about Manipur. These are to distract people's attention from all these issues," he said.

CPI General Secretary D Raja said Modi's attempt is to polarise the society ahead of Madhya Pradesh elections. "It shows his desperation," he said.

Senior RJD MP Manoj K Jha said called on Modi to "not make these issues an instrument of dog-whistle politics" and said that the prime minister should have studied the Law Commission report and the Constituent Assembly debates prior to speaking on the issue.

Read | 'How can India run on two laws?' PM Modi pitches for Uniform Civil Code in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh

"For me it is important to tell him that this is not a dog whistle, that you make it into a Hindu-Muslim issue, it also involves the traditions of our tribals. There are other issues, Hindu marriage sacrament, Islamic marriage contract...what will be done about them," he said.

"If it has to be discussed, do so threadbare from micro to macro level, otherwise it will seem after his recent trip abroad that he says 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' there and forgets about it when he comes here," he added.

In Bhopal, while addressing BJP workers, Modi had said that work is being done to instigate Muslims in the name of UCC. "If there is one law for one member in a house and another for the other, will the house be able to run? So how will the country be able to run with such a dual system?," the prime minister had asked.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi claimed the Prime Minister considers the country's diversity and its pluralism a problem. "Will you strip the country of its pluralism and diversity in the name of a UCC?...I challenge him. Can he abolish Hindu Undivided Family?...Go and tell the Sikhs in Punjab about UCC, see what will be the reaction there," he said.

DMK's T K S Elangovan said the UCC should be first introduced in Hinduism and Dalits and tribals should be allowed to perform rituals in temples. JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said the BJP was indulging in vote bank politics.

Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar alleged Modi is raking up UCC because of upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections.