Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said her party was not against implementing uniform civil code (UCC), which she believed would “lead to communal harmony” but slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for “politicising” the issue.
Mayawati’s remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a recent programme in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh pitched for a uniform civil code in the country.
“Our party (the BSP) is not against the implementation of UCC. But we do not support the way BJP is trying to implement uniform civil code in the country. It is not right to politicise this issue and forcefully implement UCC in the country,” 67-year-old Mayawati, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, told reporters here on Sunday.
According to the BSP national president, the implementation of UCC will strengthen the country and unite Indians. “It will also develop a sense of brotherhood among people. However, the forceful implementation of UCC is not right. Politicising this issue will create problems,” she said.
“The uniform civil code is already mentioned in the Constitution. But the Constitution does not support imposing it. The BJP should have considered all the dimensions related to UCC,” the BSP chief said.
“The government should currently focus on issues like inflation, unemployment, education and healthcare,” Mayawati added.
UCC ensures to put an end to the existing system of separate laws for different communities. It is a common code of personal laws for people across all religions. The personal laws comprise inheritance, marriage, divorce, alimony and child custody. Presently, religions follow their own regulations. The government could table a bill on implementing a uniform civil code in the monsoon session of Parliament. The bill may be sent to the parliamentary standing committee which will hear views of various stakeholders on the uniform civil code.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for uniform laws for people across communities, claiming that Muslims were being instigated over the sensitive issue. “Even the Supreme Court has advocated for a UCC, but those practising vote bank politics are opposing it,” Prime Minister Modi said and asked how the country could have two systems, touching upon an issue closely identified with the BJP with less than a year left for the Lok Sabha polls.