Senior BJP leader and former union minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is not a religious issue but a matter of equal rights, justice and dignity for women and condemned the attitude of opposition parties objecting to its implementation.

Addressing reporters at the state party headquarters here, he said many Muslim-dominated nations are following the practice of following a common civil code and it is "so natural throughout the world". Indonesia, Sudan, Turkey, Bangladesh and several other countries have the common civil code, and in India, it has already been in practice in Goa and Puducherry, he pointed out.

Javadekar, the Kerala prabhari (in-charge) of the BJP, also claimed that there has not been a single complaint from Muslims or any others with regard to the UCC in Goa and Puducherry in these decades. "When Puducherry Muslims and others are accepting it and practising it without any complaint, why should that not be the law," he asked.

There is one criminal law for all and there should be one civil law for all as well, he further said. Stating that the UCC is not a "BJP innovation", he said this is Article 44 of the Constitution written by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The Constitution makers had written that, after a certain time, all directive principles should be converted into law, he said, adding that the Supreme Court also gave judgments and directions in this regard. He also pointed out the anguish expressed by the apex court in the Shah Bano case that Article 44 of the Constitution had remained a dead letter. Javadekar further explained that the UCC is essentially about marriage, divorce, adoption and so on. "This is for everyone but women are suffering more due to these," he said.

 "So, they must get their equal rights...They must get justice and they must get dignity...It is not a religious issue... Ambedkar had said that this is not religious issue. This is the issue of equal rights," the BJP leader added. Strongly condemning the opposition parties, especially the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which recently announced that it would oppose the UCC, he said the Law Commission has only sought suggestions and instead of giving it support, they have started opposing beforehand. He said the CPI(M) and the CPI were once in favour of the common civil code but they have taken a U-turn and are opposing it now.

"We condemn this attitude of not giving equal rights, dignity and justice to women," he said. Javadekar also said the larger majority in the country is in favour of implementing the UCC, and that the BJP, since Jana Sangh days, has always advocated for it. When asked about the opposition's allegation that the BJP has political motives in implementing the common civil code, he asked whether Dr Ambedkar and the Constitution makers were doing politics.

That time, there was no BJP, he pointed out. Regarding the violence in Manipur, he said it is not connected with religion but with ethnicity. More than 100 people have lost their lives in the clashes that have continued for about two months in the northeastern state. The BJP leader said the Prime Minister and Home minister are closely monitoring the situation there and that restoration of peace is the top priority of the Centre.