Despite PM Modi's endorsement, the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code remains uncertain, but some States have taken the initiative
The BJP Government in its current tenure is unlikely to implement the Uniform Civil Code – that is, the law applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc. Is. However, after the abrogation of Article 370 and the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, UCC is being seen as the last ideological promise that is on the agenda of the BJP and RSS.If we are to believe government and party sources, the party will keep this issue alive and fresh in the political discussion. Hope was further strengthened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the need for UCC in a rally in Bhopal on 28 June 23 and said that a law could be made soon. That's when top officials of the party as well as the government said that the law would require very intensive research and extensive consultation, and thus was unlikely to be implemented until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. To keep the issue alive, many BJP leaders and government ministers started making statements on the need for UCC. A private bill introduced by Sunil Kumar Singh, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Jharkhand, listed 'appropriate legislation to implement Uniform Civil Code throughout the country'. However, the Lok Sabha did not show much interest in considering the bill. However, the Sangh Parivar believes that states can implement the UCC on their own, and the Center can wait before initiating discussions for a comprehensive law.
Several state BJP governments – Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat – have already initiated efforts to introduce UCC; Assam is going to become the third state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), as announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a press conference held in Dispur. Following the footsteps of Gujarat and Uttarakhand, Assam's UCC will be tailored to the specific needs of the state. CM Sarma stressed that the government is actively working to tackle child marriage and is in the process of introducing a bill to ban polygamy in the state However, Uttar Pradesh which is the poster boy for the BJP Government has not shown any signs of implementing it “This is not Article 370 or triple talaq, where bills can be brought in hastily… UCC is a complex issue concerning different sections of the society from different castes and communities. This will require much wider consultation and more in-depth research.
The Law Commission of India has already started consultations on UCC. It had issued a public notice on June 14 to seek public views on the UCC and its extended deadline for submitting suggestions ended on July 28. There is also a plan to hold consultations in cities. Sangh Parivar has also warned to exercise caution. Earlier this month, RSS-affiliated Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, which works among tribals, welcomed suggestions that tribals should be kept out of the ambit of the law. But over the past two weeks, these meetings have witnessed heated debate over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move to implement the Uniform Civil Code across India. These protests and these meetings in Jharkhand are now turning into training sessions to organise, oppose and oppose the UCC measure of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
It is not just the All India Muslim Personal Law Board; The movement has started in tribal India. More than 100 protests have taken place so far. In early July, more than 30 tribal organizations under the Adivasi Coordination Committee protested in Ranchi, taking out protest marches and staging a sit-in outside the state BJP headquarters. Organisation BJP leader and MP Sushil Kumar Modi has suggested in the parliamentary panel that tribals should be kept out of the UCC in view of Article 371 and Scheduled Areas.
(The writer is a senior journalist, views are personal)