Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin calls for Uniform Civil Code in India

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin, speaking in Kolkata, strongly advocated for the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to eliminate discrimination against women. Her remarks coincided with the West Bengal government forming a committee to examine a draft UCC.

Kolkata:  Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin on Sunday said that implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India is essential to eliminate discrimination, particularly against women. The writer also stressed the need for such a law in neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“All advanced countries have UCC-like laws. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India need a Uniform Civil Code. There should be equal laws for everyone. Women face a great deal of discrimination, and much of it can be removed through a UCC. It is essential,” Nasrin told media persons at a press conference in Kolkata.

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Her remarks come days after the West Bengal government constituted a high-level committee to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state.

A government notification said the panel was formed in view of the “wide ramifications and voluminous nature” of the proposed legislation.

The committee will undertake a comprehensive examination of the draft Bill before any further steps are taken, it said.

Nasrin said equality was the cornerstone of civilisation, but many women continued to face discrimination. “In Bangladesh, Hindu women do not have equal rights. They cannot inherit their father’s property. If Hindu women are to enjoy freedom and equal rights, a Uniform Civil Code is necessary.”

Nasrin, who returned to Kolkata after nearly 19 years, was felicitated at a state government programme at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday.

She had left Kolkata in 2007 after protests over the publication of her book Dwikhandito (Split: A Life) forced the then Left Front government to move her out of the city.

Meanwhile, she also criticised the role of madrasas and expressed concern over the growing religious fundamentalism in the country. “The madrasas in Bangladesh should not exist. In many cases, madrasas have been found to be producing jihadists. Imams and madrasa teachers have been arrested and sent to jail. I do not believe there is any need for madrasas. Many graduates do not go on to do productive work; they survive on donations,” she said.

By saying this, Taslima Nasrin practically supported the comment of former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who had said that “Militants are created in madrasas.”

In 2002, the then Chief Minister of the state, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, while speaking about some unauthorised madrasas in the border area of the state, had said that madrasas have become hotbeds of militant activities.