In his recent statement at the BJP headquarters in Madhya Pradesh, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that after fulfilling the electoral promise of Ram Mandir, Triple Talaq, CAA, and Article 370, its time for UCC (Uniform Civil Code). Implementation of UCC has been a long-standing promise of the BJP.
According to several sources from within the party, the internal preparation for the implementation of UCC has already begun. Most probably, the UCC implementation might first start in the tiny hill state of Uttrakhand, where the BJP has a clear majority in the local legislature and the support of the population. It is also quite possible that BJP might bring in the bill for nationwide UCC before the 2024 general elections.
Sunil Deodhar, a secretary of the BJP in New Delhi said, “Uttarakhand is the first experiment in our country and other states may follow after seeing the outcomes. It is the right time to bring a uniform civil code in the country”.
Reacting to the recent growing narrative about the implementation of UCC, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday said that the attempts by various state governments and the Centre to introduce a Uniform Civil Code in India is “an unconstitutional and anti-minorities move”.
Though the central government is yet to begin any substantial process for the implementation of UCC, the opposition against the idea of UCC has already started pouring in from Muslim organisations like AIMPLB, political parties like Congress and AIMIM, and other religious groups.
Last month, in a statement, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, "Uniform does not mean that it should be common. Babasaheb had also said that it should be voluntary, not mandatory. Is it not written directly in the constitution of India that alcohol should be banned? What are you doing about that? We consider it just a political jumla".
In 2015, the Indian Supreme Court said that a Uniform Civil Code that replaces all the personal laws is essential in the country. SC said, "This (separate personal laws for different religious communities) cannot be accepted. Otherwise, every religion will say it has a right to decide various issues as a matter of its personal law. We don’t agree with this at all. It has to be done through a decree of a court."
The implementation of a common civil code in an immensely diverse country like India will not be easy for the ruling party BJP. Rather, it will prove to be extremely difficult, much more difficult than the previous electoral promises of BJP like the article 370, triple talaq, CAA, ram mandir, etc. However, the sheer dedication & perseverance of HM Amit Shah and the Modi government, the party legacy of the BJP, and the historic & consecutive electoral promise of UCC seem to be strong enough reasons to believe that BJP would be able to push through this too.
