How RSS plans to reach out to Muslims on Uniform Civil Code

At a time when the Law Commission has sought the views of all stakeholders, including religious organisations and the public, on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country, the Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an organisation affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has decided to start a nationwide outreach programme to discuss the controversial issue with the Muslims.

The 50-day contact programme is scheduled to commence on August 20 and continue until September 30. According to the plan, at least 10,000 workers of MRM will reach out to 15 lakh Muslim families across the country to talk about some of the most controversial issues. Senior leaders of the MRM claimed that this is the biggest outreach programme that will be undertaken by the MRM to hold a dialogue with Muslims.

Dialogue process to ensure ‘danga mukt, nafrat mukt’ India

“The idea of organising this dialogue process is to ensure a danga mukt, nafrat mukt (riot-free, hatred-free) India. We have over 10,000 workers who will reach out to Muslim families across the country. The idea of this exercise is to make sure there is peace in the country and there are no misunderstandings between communities,” said Afzal Ahmed, the national convenor of MRM.

Also read: Why Delhi’s Muslim women are not too excited about Uniform Civil Code

Apart from the discussion on UCC, the workers of MRM would also try to engage the 15 lakh families in discussions about the issue of ‘love jihad’, cow slaughter, and population control during the nationwide exercise. Senior members of the MRM said that the message of the outreach programme was to spread peace among communities because implementation of UCC will be the same for people of all religions.

“There should be one law, one country. That is why we support the implementation of UCC in the country. We want to explain to people the need for UCC, and that is why there is a need for a nationwide dialogue,” said Mohammed Farooq Sheikh, a senior member of MRM.

The timing of the decision to start a nationwide programme to discuss UCC is interesting because the decision was taken during a three-day conclave of MRM in Bhopal on June 11. It was only three days later, on June 14, that the Law Commission decided to seek the views of religious leaders and the public on the controversial issue of the UCC.

Also read: Law Commission initiates fresh consultations on Uniform Civil Code

“We work closely with the government, and we keep giving our input on crucial issues like UCC, and making instant triple talaq illegal. We want peace in the country, but there are people who are deliberately creating problems between communities, so this is an attempt to reach out to Muslims,” added Sheikh.

Modi’s call to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims

The decision of MRM to start a dialogue comes four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to reach out to Muslims without thinking if they would vote for the BJP or not. The ruling BJP and MRM are both affiliated with the RSS.

During the national executive meeting in January this year, PM Modi asked BJP workers to reach out to Muslims, especially Pasmanda Muslims, and ensure they got the benefits of the populist programmes of the union government. Taking note of this advice from the PM, the BJP identified at least 61 Lok Sabha constituencies that have a population of more than 25 per cent Muslims.

Members of the BJP want to identify the Pasmanda Muslims, or those who are financially weaker, in these 61 Lok Sabha constituencies and help them receive the benefits of the government’s flagship programmes of toilets for all, subsidised cooking gas cylinders, access to bank accounts through the Jan Dhan programme, housing for all both in rural and urban areas, and easy loans under the Mudra scheme for women.

This is not the first time that senior leaders of the RSS have tried to reach out to Muslims. In the last year, the RSS chief, or Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat, has been meeting Muslim community members to discuss some of the points of controversy between the communities. The next round of dialogue between Mohan Bhagwat and the Muslim community members is expected at the end of July.

Also read: Raising concerns over Uniform Civil Code, over 30 tribal bodies to meet in Ranchi on June 25

“The exercise started by MRM has nothing to do with the conversation we are having with the RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat and other senior members of the RSS. We have already met three times in the last year and the next meeting is expected at the end of July. The outreach programme started by MRM should also include measures to stop hate speeches by members and leaders from both sides,” said Shahid Siddiqui, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and someone who is involved in the dialogue process with RSS.

Describing MRM’s exercise as “political”, Siddiqui said that the leaders and members of different communities should first speak out against the hate speeches made by people in their communities and then carry out any such outreach programmes.