The demand for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is gaining momentum with the BJP-ruled states, including Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh going forward with their plan to formulate a common policy.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said a high-level committee would soon set up to draft a UCC, and communal amity in the state would not be allowed to be disrupted at any cost. Once the Uniform Civil Code is introduced in Uttarakhand, other states should follow suit, he said.
The UP has also gone ahead with its plan to implement the UCC while political leaders in other states have supported the proposal.
The UCC calls for formulation of common law to be made applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption. The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution, which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
Here are the latest developments on the UCC across states:
Uttarakhand
Uniform Civil Code had been the poll-promise of the Pushkar Singh Dhami government before getting elected to power earlier in March. Earlier on Saturday, he said a high-level committee will soon be set up to draft a Uniform Civil Code and communal amity in the state will not be allowed to be disrupted at any cost.
Dhami said the Cabinet, at its first meeting, cleared a proposal to constitute a high-level panel of experts to draft a Uniform Civil Code. The panel will be set up soon, he said.
The government has planned to conduct a drive to verify the antecedents of people coming to Uttarakhand in large numbers so that dubious elements don’t succeed in disrupting the peace, the chief minister said.
Uttar Pradesh
After Uttarakhand government’s proposal, the Uttar Pradesh government is thinking seriously in the direction of the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said. Maurya on Saturday made the revelation while favoring the expeditious implementation of the UCC both in the country and the state.
Terming the constitutionally-envisaged measure an “important step” for the realization of the governance ‘mantra’ of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” (inclusive growth), he said it should be welcomed by everybody. “One law for all in one country is the need of the hour. It is required that we should get out of the system of one law for one person and another for others. We are in favor of a common civil code,” Maurya said while talking to newspersons here.
“The Uttar Pradesh government is thinking in this direction seriously, the deputy CM said. Just as the Uttarakhand government has initiated steps, in UP and other states too where there is the BJP government, the common civil code should be implemented, he said.
The issue of the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, however, does not enjoy the Opposition support besides that of Muslim bodies. Senior socialist leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, however, has called for a Uniform Civil Code, in remarks that are being seen as another indication of his growing closeness with the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
MNS in Maharashtra
Earlier this month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray batted for the Uniform Civil Code and stressed the need for controlling population growth.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should implement the Uniform Civil Code in this country,” Thackeray said, adding that a law should be brought in to curb population growth.
The statements in favor of UCC came in the backdrop of Thackeray’s demand for banning of loudspeakers in mosques.
Madhya Pradesh
Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Pratap Singh has written to MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan urging him to constitute a committee to look into different aspects of implementation of a common civil code.
In the letter, Singh has brought to the attention of the CM that the newly formed BJP government in Uttarakhand recently constituted a committee of experts to look into different aspects of implementation of a common civil code.
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