The Congress-led United Democratic Front on Monday decided to hold a “diversity conclave” against Uniform Civil Code as part of a larger plan to fight any attempt to destroy the multiculturalism and secularism of the country.

The UDF-sponsored event will be held in Thiruvananthapuram on July 29, leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan told a media conference following a meeting of the alliance’s coordination committee.

This comes a day after the Indian Union Muslim League, a UDF member, rejected an invitation by the ruling CPM to participate in its anti-UCC seminar to be held in Kozhikode on July 15. The invitation to the UUML had rattled the Congress, which accused the CPM of trying to divide the Opposition and reap political benefits from the UCC.

“The UDF has decided to fight all attempts to destroy the nation’s diversity and to proceed with our efforts to unite all sections of the people to counter the BJP’s communal polarisation and the CPM’s attempt to capitalise from that,” Satheesansaid.

Apart from the July 29 forum, all constituents of the UDF would hold their own protests against the UCC. “The Congress will hold a separate protest in Kozhikode before the UDF event,” Satheesan added.

He maintained that the UDF’s anti-UCC programmes were not a parallel to the CPM’s seminar.

“There is no comparison between our protests and CPM’s seminar. The CPM tried to get some political benefits from it by inviting the IUML and Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulama,” he said, alluding to the alleged attempts by the CPM to divide the UDF.

Satheesan, however, said the UDF had no issues with Samastha deciding to participate in the CPM’s seminar. “We have no issues with religious bodies participating in the seminar. Its president has clarified that they would participate in the seminar without damaging their relationship with the Congress,” he said.

Samastha president Jifri Muthukoya Thangal had on Saturday announced the decision to participate in the CPM seminar only as a move to oppose the UCC.

While the CPM had not invited the Congress for its seminar, the latter had already decided not to share any platform even to oppose the UCC. “We have already made it clear that we will have nothing to do with the CPM even in such protests because they are out to seek political benefits from all of this,” Satheesan said.

The UDF meeting decided against inviting any of the Left Democratic Front partners “since that would be inappropriate”, he said.

Satheesan questioned if the CPM had changed its old position that supported the UCC and stood against Shariat, upon which the Muslim personal law is based.

“It was not just the position taken by EMS (Namboodiripad), but also the CPM, that sought the implementation of the UCC,” Satheesan alleged, citing a development in 1984.

The first Communist chief minister of India, Namboodiripad, had in 1984 spoken against Shariat, sparking an uproar in Kerala. The left front helmed by Namboodiripad had campaigned against the Muslim Personal Law laying emphasis on the UCC.

Satheesan maintained that he had Assembly records and media reports to confirm that then CPM stalwarts Namboodiripad, E.K. Nayanar and others had openly supported the UCC.

“It was also the CPM’s stand, which was eventually opposed by M.V. Raghavan.”

A firebrand Communist, Raghavan later formed his splinter group called Communist Marxist Party and joined the UDF.