The Indian Union Muslim League has taken the private member’s bill on a uniform civil code tabled in the Rajya Sabha as a warning bell and called for a much more vigilant response from secular parties, especially ally Congress.

A day after BJP member Kirodi Lal Meena introduced the bill in the Upper House, IUML national general secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty urged all secular parties to be watchful of the contentious uniform civil code.

His statement was based on IUML Rajya Sabha member P.V. Abdul Wahab’s comment that no Congress member was present in the House when the bill was put up for discussion.

While Kunhalikutty tried to play down Wahab’s remarks, he urged the Congress to be “extra careful” against any move from the NDA government to push through the bill.

“Wahab had casually mentioned that no one (from the Congress) was to be seen (when the bill was taken up for discussion). So let there be no other interpretation over this,” he told reporters in Malappuram on Saturday.

But the IUML leader called for a vigil against any move to enact the common civil code that his party has always opposed.

“It is the Congress that needs to be extra careful about it since there would be repercussions if the uniform civil code is implemented.”

Without appearing to be critical of the Congress, Kunhalikutty said that all secular parties need to be vigilant.

“The uniform civil code is a very serious issue and all secular parties, not just the Congress, need to be vigilant when such a bill is tabled because India is a multicultural country,” he said.

The IUML has been one of the staunchest critics of the BJP’s plan to bring a uniform civil code by overriding the civil laws that govern minority communities. Congress leader V.D. Satheesan parried reporters’ questions about Wahab’s comments.

“You should ask him, why are you asking me?” He pointed out that Congress Rajya Sabha member from Kerala Jebi Mather had objected to the bill.

“Jebi Mather was among our party members who objected to this bill. (Union minister) Piyush Goyal had intervened when Jedi Mather raised her objections to the bill. (Congress member) Hanumanthaiah from Karnataka had also spoken against the bill,” he said.

An IUML source said even Mather was not present when the bill was introduced and returned to the House only after members of the CPM and the CPI raised objections.

“The general feeling is that Congress members shouldn’t have waited for members of other parties to raise objections before stepping in,” said the leader who declined to be named.