NEW DELHI: With the debate on a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) continuing to simmer, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami here on Tuesday, setting off speculation that the state’s UCC draft could be a model for the Central law. Uttarakhand’s expert committee is expected to submit its draft UCC bill to the state government soon.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dhami ducked questions on his state’s draft UCC coming up for discussion with the PM and whether it could be a template for a national law. “The PM is aware of the provisions of the UCC. It is his thought that a common civil code should be implemented in the country,” he said.
Dhami added that the state’s expert panel on UCC had consulted tribal groups in Uttarakhand as well. “The committee has reached out to tribal communities. The draft will be submitted soon,” he said.
Dhami had a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday night.
On Monday, at a Standing Committee meeting on Law and Justice, its chairman and BJP MP Sushil Kumar pushed for the exemption of tribals from the UCC. Sources said in view of the 2024 elections and the upcoming state polls, the BJP may be in consonance with the view that tribals should be exempt from the common civil code.
One of the members of the Uttarakhand UCC expert committee told this paper that the panel received overwhelming responses from tribal groups. “Some of the recommendations such as banning polyandry came from the community,” the member said.