Indian National Congress has once again proved that come what may it is not going to stop its minority appeasement politics. Minority Affairs of the Karnataka government, Zameer Ahmed has decided to support the call of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) to set up Sharia courts in all districts of the country. Zameer Ahmed who hails from the Congress party and is serving under the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government is not new to making baseless statements. He is the same person who had earlier demanded the Karnataka CM H.D. Kumaraswamy to give him a Toyota Fortuner car as the Toyota Innova, which he had been allotted by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, was “a small one”. This time however he has crossed all the boundaries by supporting the demand for forming Sharia courts in the state.
In a statement to Republic TV, Congress leader Zameer Ahmed said, “It will be a good step if the Sharia courts are set up. The law of the land will remain the same. We have only one Constitution but these Sharia courts will help in resolving minor family disputes. We have Sharia law in Bangalore also. If this law will come into implementation it will help build unity and spread awareness among Muslims.”
These statements coming from a Congress leader who is also a cabinet minister in Karnataka shows the levels to which Congress is ready to fall to appease a particular minority voter base. The national leadership of the Congress is yet to issue an apology or support for the statements made by its party leader who is enjoying a free reign. The minister’s statement came after the AIMPLB senior member Zafaryab Jilani told PTI of their plans to open Sharia courts in all districts of India. Zafaryab Jilani said, “At present there are 40 such courts in Uttar Pradesh. We plan to open one such court in all districts of the country. The objective of Darul-Qaza is to resolve matters in light of Sharia laws instead of going to other courts.”
Statements and thoughts like these which are voiced from time to time make the implementation of Uniform Civil Code a must in our society. Immediate implementation of the uniform civil code will ensure that no such demands should arise in the future. It is astonishing how the same minority bodies advocate and demand more rights and incentives for their groups from time to time but that does not stop them from making tall claims about setting up parallel courts to judge matters which they believe are their own. It is indeed worrying that the AIMPLB is trying to push the Sharia courts all across India. Very soon the situation might deteriorate even further if left unchecked today. Adding to the woes are statements made by Congress leaders who lose no time in trying to appear pro-minority even when it could lead to further problems and division in the society.
It is hard to fathom whether the statements made by AIMPLB member and Congress leader are well thought out or whether they are spoken without any consideration for what they would mean in the long run. But they indeed are scary, the central government needs to take action as quickly as possible to nip these vile plans in the bud before they lead to further problems. Congress central leadership too should have taken strict action on Zameer Ahmed and others who speak like him, if they themselves were in the right frame of mind, sadly that is not the case right now.