CHANDIGARH: With Himachal Pradesh going to polls later this year, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Monday jumped on the Uniform Civil Code bandwagon saying his government was open to its implementation.
“The Uniform Civil Code is a good step... We will examine the outcome of the Code in other states and then make a decision. Our officers are examining it.We are open to implementing it in Himachal Pradesh and assess what can be improved,” Thakur said on the sidelines of an event in Delhi.
Earlier, the BJP governments in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh had announced that they would be considering the implementation of UCC. Referring to his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami’s announcement to implement the Code, Thakur said the neighbouring state would set an example. While he asserted his government “will not take any decision in a hurry”, the Himachal CM added that “the implementation is not ruled out before the November elections. We will take a decision soon,” he added.
Thakur also downplayed the challenge from AAP in the state. “Himachal is a peaceful state. AAP’s style of politics will not work. The state will not accept any third alternative. The AAP is an outsider for Himachal Pradesh; they have no leadership in the state. You can’t win Himachal with imported leadership. This is not Punjab. They (AAP) can try because in a democracy everyone has the right to try, but they won’t succeed,” the CM said.