Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Sunday strongly backed the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code in India, saying such a law was essential to remove discrimination, especially against women. She said Bangladesh and Pakistan also needed a Uniform Civil Code, and argued that there should be equal laws for everyone.
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata during her first visit to the city in nearly 19 years, Nasreen also expressed anguish over a disruption at her felicitation ceremony a day earlier, when poet Joy Goswami was forced to leave the stage amid objections from a section of the audience. She said the incident went against the principle of freedom of expression, which Kolkata had long stood for.
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“I have been fighting for the UCC for the past 40 years. This is much needed in any civilised country. 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,” Nasreen said.
Her remarks came as the West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code for the state. A government notification said the panel was formed in view of the “wide ramifications and voluminous nature” of the proposed legislation and would undertake a comprehensive examination of the draft Bill before any further steps are taken.
Referring to Bangladesh, the 63-year-old writer 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,” she said.
Nasreen was felicitated at a state government programme at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday after returning to Kolkata for the first time since 2007, when protests over the publication of her book Dwikhandito forced the then Left Front government to move her out of the city. She had left Bangladesh in 1994 after receiving death threats from radical groups over her writings and views on religion.
Recalling the disruption at Saturday’s event, Nasreen said she felt “insulted” after Goswami was prevented from speaking. “Not only was Joy insulted, but I was also insulted because I had invited him,” she said. The controversy erupted after she invited Goswami onto the stage and asked him to address the gathering, but loud objections from a section of the audience forced him to step down without speaking.
“In my speech, I had spoken about freedom of expression. Everyone should be allowed to speak. It is not right to stop anyone from expressing their views,” she said. Questioning the conduct of those who objected, she added, “Those who appreciated my speech were the ones who did not allow him to come on the stage. Didn’t they also question me? It is contradictory. When someone speaks about freedom of expression, people support it, but when a poet is invited to speak, they do not want to hear him. That is not right.” She said she would visit Goswami at his residence, adding, “I have not got the opportunity to speak to Joy (after the incident), but I will pay him a visit today or tomorrow.”
Nasreen said she hoped such an incident would not happen again in her favourite city. “Kolkata is a city of progressives. People here believe in freedom of speech and the right to express one’s views. People’s political ideologies may differ, but everyone must be given the space to express one’s opinions,” she said.
Asked to compare the Left Front, the Trinamool Congress and the present BJP government in West Bengal, Nasreen praised the BJP-led dispensation for allowing her to visit Kolkata.
“There is, of course, a difference between the three governments. One government expelled me, another did not allow me to return, while the third has allowed me to come. Instead of focusing on those differences, I think we should celebrate the fact that I have been able to come back. I am very happy that I could return. I want to believe that this government believes in the right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech,” she said.
Nasreen said she had been invited to Kolkata by an organisation called Secular Mission and that the state government later provided her security cover and facilitated her visit to West Bengal. On Saturday, she had said her return after 19 years showed that “injustice can be long but cannot be permanent”, while maintaining that her fight had always been for women’s rights and freedom of expression, and not for or against any political party.
When asked whether she wanted to return to Kolkata permanently, Nasreen said she had not yet “give it thought” but wanted to come back for the Kolkata Book Fair next year. “I surely want to come to Kolkata Book Fair. The Bengal chief minister has promised me security. So, I will definitely try to come. I will,” she said. Stressing again that her views were independent of politics, she added, “I travel to many states. If I visit Kerala, does that make me part of that state’s politics? Certainly not. I remain independent. Any government that provides me security is only discharging its responsibility. That has nothing to do with politics.”
Nasreen’s visit to Kolkata combined a renewed call for a Uniform Civil Code with a strong defence of equal rights and free speech, even as she spoke about her difficult history with the city and her wish to return again for the Book Fair.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
