With months to go before the Lok Sabha election, the Narendra Modi government wants to bring the Uniform Civil Code Bill in Parliament as early as this year’s Winter Session, indicate multiple sources within the party. However, the BJP wants to test the waters before that and hence, the Centre is aggressively involved in all stages of the states’ UCC plan — from draft to implementation.
WINTER SESSION DEADLINE?
Multiple BJP sources have indicated to News18 that the government wants to “at least” present the Uniform Civil Code Bill in this year’s Winter Session of Parliament. A couple of weeks ago, the 22nd Law Commission sought public opinion on the contentious issue. Once the consultation and suggestion period of 30 days is over, the commission will study the inputs and make recommendations. While the 21st Law Commission did not bat for UCC, is it possible for the 22nd to follow suit?
“We are expecting a favourable recommendation about UCC this time,” said a BJP functionary, adding that back-channel talks with certain stakeholders who may have some concerns have begun. The same source stressed that “once the government takes a call”, the party will throw its might to reach out. He added, if all goes well, the bill should be presented in this Winter Session itself. “But a favourable ‘mahaul’ needs to be created before that.”
A Bihar-based BJP leader suggested that even the Sangh will do its part, reminding how Sarsanghchalak (RSS supremo) Mohan Bhagwat himself reached out to Muslim bodies ahead of the Ram Mandir verdict.
Once presented, the BJP-led NDA government can easily ensure that the Bill sails through the Lok Sabha by sheer numbers. But they will fall short in Rajya Sabha. This is where friendly opposition parties like the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) or Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) can help the government. Even parties like Aam Admi Party (AAP) have expressed support for UCC ‘in principle’.
“It is important to introduce the Bill in the Winter Session. Even if it gets blocked by the Opposition, it will be for the people to see,” said a senior BJP MP on condition of anonymity. So is the deadline confirmed? “There’s no deadline. But we would really like to bring it this Winter Session,” he added.
UTTARAKHAND’S UCC A TRIAL BALLOON
Multiple BJP functionaries have confirmed that even the party’s top leadership is wary about the public response to UCC. Hence, they wanted to test the waters and what could be better than a BJP-ruled state?
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was in the national capital and he met both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah separately. His only point of discussion in the meeting with Shah was the state’s UCC push, sources have confirmed. In fact, Dhami waited for the prime minister’s meeting with the council of ministers to end to get into a late-night huddle with Shah at his residence. All these suggest the Centre’s overt involvement in state law.
The expert committee will submit the Uttarakhand Civil Code Draft very soon. On Tuesday, when asked about his meeting with the PM Modi, Dhami reiterated: “He knows all about the provisions of UCC. It is his belief that UCC should be implemented in the country.”
The BJP is not just wary of reactions from organisation like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) but also tribes in the Northeast as well as tribal communities, many of whom practice early marriages and inheritance laws that can be dubbed discriminatory. Sources in the BJP as well as in the government indicate that this is why the party wants to gauge the mood with Uttarakhand’s UCC push and will tweak their nationwide UCC push accordingly.
PM Modi recently made a pitch for a nationwide Uniform Civil Code while blaming the Opposition for inciting minorities.
UCC has been one of the three core promises of the party with the other two being the abrogation of Article 370 and Ram Mandir — both of which were delivered. The brand new Ram Mandir is expected to be inaugurated in the third week of January next year. With Ram Mandir and UCC being the dominant discourse, BJP wishes to go all guns blazing in campaigning mode to re-elect Narendra Modi as prime minister for the third consecutive term.
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