Ahmedabad, April 4 (IANS) All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, on Saturday, rejected allegations that his party acts as a proxy for the BJP and criticised the Congress for failing to effectively counter the ruling party, during his visit to Gujarat.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Owaisi said: “I am not a B-team of the BJP. I am the original ‘M’ team — the team of the marginalised, not just minorities”, asserting that AIMIM represents underrepresented sections of society.

Questioning the Congress, the AIMIM Chief added, “Why is Congress unable to defeat the BJP? Why did it not strongly oppose the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)? Why did not Congress speak about it? In Uttarakhand, Congress was part of the voice vote.”

Owaisi, who arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday evening, is in the state to launch the AIMIM’s campaign for the local body elections scheduled for April 26.

He announced that the AIMIM will contest 539 seats across the state, including six Municipal Corporations, 39 Taluka Panchayats and 22 District Panchayats.

Referring to the AIMIM’s earlier poll performance, Owaisi said, “We made our debut in 2021 and won 26 Assembly seats, including seven in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.”

Highlighting underrepresentation of Muslims in the Parliament, Owaisi said, “Only around four per cent MPs in Parliament are Muslims. When was the last Muslim MP elected from Gujarat? It was in 1991.”

Referring to political developments in Assam, the AIMIM Chief added, “Fifty MLAs went to the BJP. Is that because of me?”

Commenting on the UCC, Owaisi said that the UCC falls under the Directive Principles of State Policy and is not a fundamental right.

Referring to B.R. Ambedkar, the AIMIM Chief said, “This is not a Uniform Civil Code”, and described the Gujarat version as a “copy-and-paste of the Uttarakhand UCC”.

He questioned the absence of the report prepared by former Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Desai, asking, “Do you have the Ranjana Desai report? It has not been made public, and the Bill was brought directly.”

He alleged that the proposed framework imposes provisions derived from Hindu personal laws on other communities while excluding around 16 per cent of the tribal population.

“You are applying Hindu Code provisions to everyone except tribals. How is this equality?” Owaisi asked, adding, “Applying the Hindu Succession Act to Muslims is unconstitutional.”

On marriage and divorce, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member said, “There is no khula, no divorce. If a Muslim wants to end a marriage, he has to prove adultery and go for judicial separation.”

He also criticised the legal recognition of live-in relationships, saying, “You allow live-in relationships and their termination, then where is the sanctity of marriage?”

Owaisi said Muslim marriages are conducted through a khutba and not rituals involving fire and flowers, adding, “We do not get married with fire and flowers; the Quran prescribes khutba.”

On gender rights, the AIMIM Chief said, “Islam was the first religion to give land and property rights to women. There are 32 ways for women to have property rights. How is this law gender-just?”

Calling the framework “unconstitutional, illegal and with malicious intent”, Owaisi said, “We will challenge it in court, and we trust the judicial process.”

On the Disturbed Areas Act amended in the Gujarat Assembly, Owaisi traced its origins, saying, “In 1986, the Act was brought because of riots. In 1999, when the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid issue was at its peak, it was implemented again.”

He said that earlier legal interpretations had established that property transactions must be based on free consent and reasonable value, adding, “The District Collector has no right to decide.”

Owaisi said court rulings had clarified that third parties cannot interfere in transactions between two parties, but alleged that amendments made in 2020 changed this.

“Now, any person can become an ‘aggrieved person’. This has legalised commission-taking practices,” he added.

The AIMIM Chief said, “This means a Muslim cannot buy a house.”

Naming areas such as Juhapura, Kalupur, Paldi and Khanpur, Owaisi alleged that the law targets specific localities.

Questioning the need for the law, the AIMIM Chief said, “If Gujarat is a peaceful state, why is this law needed? On one hand you talk about uniform laws, on the other you do not allow Hindus and Muslims to buy property from each other.”

Owaisi also rejected allegations linking AIMIM to communal tensions in West Bengal, saying, “It is all false.”

Responding to Congress leader Pawan Khera, the AIMIM Chief said, “Detention of Muslims started during Congress rule. Foreigners Tribunals were created during Congress governments.”

Owaisi alleged, “Around 50,000 Muslims became homeless in Assam”, and added that past governments had taken pride in implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Referring to the Supreme Court ruling in Jamaluddin vs Union of India, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha member said, “If anyone is on forest land, they must be given alternate land”, especially in flood-prone regions like Assam.

He also referred to remarks by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Naxalism, saying, “They are putting down arms, not ideology”, and warned, “Right-wing extremism will lead to serious consequences.”

–IANS

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