Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi has criticized the government of using the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to target Muslims instead of protecting citizens’ rights. Addressing a press conference at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh, he condemned the government’s divisive policies and demanded legal action against Minister Nitesh Rane for repeated hate speeches.
Azmi condemned the violence against Yunus Burhanpur in the name of cow slaughter and called for clarification on Minister Shishir Rane’s demand to ban Tablighi Jamaat. He also raised concerns over the illegal takeover of the Ramzan Ali Shah Dargah in Ahmednagar, where Hindu groups have forcefully installed idols despite a Waqf Board injunction.
Criticizing Nitesh Rane’s communal rhetoric, Azmi highlighted his “Hindutva government” remarks and his attempt to ban burqas in board exam centers, which the Education Minister rejected. He stressed that the Supreme Court’s hate speech guidelines mandate action, yet the Maharashtra government remains silent.
Azmi questioned the contradiction in the government’s stance on freedom, asking, “Why impose UCC if religious freedom is valued?” He called it a political ploy under the guise of “One Nation, One Law.”
