BJP backs Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal

The BJP on Monday backed the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), describing it as part of the party’s commitment to women’s empowerment, while accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress of putting vote-bank politics above women’s rights. The remarks came amid the West Bengal government’s decision to introduce the UCC Bill in the State Assembly.

Less than two months after ending the TMC’s 15-year rule in the State, the BJP Government is expected to table in the West Bengal Assembly one of its most ambitious and politically sensitive promises, setting the stage for what could become the first major ideological confrontation of the post-election period. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the UCC is part of the Constitution and asserted that wherever the BJP-NDA comes to power, it moves forward with its implementation.

“The UCC has been a commitment of the BJP and the (Narendra) Modi Government towards women’s empowerment. Therefore, wherever the BJP-NDA Government is coming to power, it is going forward with the implementation of the UCC,” he said in a video statement. “Whether it is the steps taken in Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh or the implementation of the UCC in Uttarakhand or the advanced stage it has reached in Assam, this shows that the BJP and the Modi Government are committed towards gender empowerment and women’s empowerment,” he said.

Accusing the Congress of putting vote-bank politics above women’s empowerment, Poonawalla said the opposition party had consistently sacrificed women’s rights for political considerations.