BJP states to go for Uniform Civil code

By all indications, the BJP-ruled states have decided to go for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as a prominent poll plank ahead of the 2024 general election.
Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur (Photo | ANI)
Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur (Photo | ANI)

NEW DELHI: By all indications, the BJP-ruled states have decided to go for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as a prominent poll plank ahead of the 2024 general election. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have already made their plans clear on the UCC. On Monday, Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur said his government has started examining the possibility of implementing the UCC in the state and would take appropriate steps “soon.” Himachal Pradesh is due for Assembly polls later this year.

BJP sources said the party would decide on the UCC as a poll issue after an in-house committee submits its reports. The sources acknowledge that there is an ongoing exercise to ascertain the electoral feasibility of the UCC implementation in 12 BJP-ruled states. The party is aware that it would face opposition from its allies in Bihar, Puducherry, Sikkim and three other states.

The BJP’s plan was spelled out by Home Minister Amit Shah in Bihar on April 23. However, JDU leader Upendra Kushwaha has rejected Shah’s idea. “There is no need for UCC in Bihar,” he told the media. The saffron group remains serious about UCC’s poll dividends. “What is wrong in it? We had made UCC a part of the 2019 Lok Sabha manifesto. We had stated that under Article 44 of the State Directive Principles of the Constitution, states can implement UCC,” remarked a senior BJP leader.

‘Code a decoy to divert issues’
New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board said the UCC has been brought up to divert attention from real issues, and asserted the “anti-constitutional move” is not acceptable to Muslims. AIMPLB general secretary Khalid Saifullah Rahmani said the Constitution has allowed every citizen to live according to his religion.

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