New Delhi
There is major speculation over the Bharatiya Janata Party planning to introduce a Uniform Civil Code Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament, although there is another school of thought that says that it could introduce it in the winter session. Whichever be the case, the passage of the bill should be smooth sailing for the BJP as it already has a majority in the Lok Sabha; and in the Rajya Sabha, most of the “neutral” political players are planning to support the bill.
The BJP-led camp already has 110 Rajya Sabha seats and needs 10 more to pass the bill in the Upper House after the bill gets cleared in the Lower House. In fact sources in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, which has three RS seats, confirmed to this newspaper that their party would support the bill in both Houses of Parliament. In addition to that, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also expected to support the bill with its 10 RS seats. The AAP has reportedly said that it will support the UCC in principle, but it requires wider consultations with all political parties, religious leaders, and organisations for a consensus. Congress leaders say that they will be able to take a stand on the bill only after they read the draft. Moreover, the party hasn’t taken any official stand on the bill yet. Alok Sharma, AICC spokesperson, told The Sunday Guardian, “There is no bill, no draft until now. When it comes we will see.” A political analyst said, “The UCC will not be met with strong opposition even from parties who have agreed to contest the Lok Sabha elections together against the BJP, as any opposition would impact their Hindu voter base. Thus, the BJP could be able to fulfil its very important agenda easily. After losing Karnataka, the party will also get a much-needed boost, by making the UCC a law, for setting up a favourable narrative. However, parties who have a considerable chunk of committed Muslim voters may oppose the bill.” One such party, the National Conference of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday attacked the government over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pitch for UCC at an event in Bhopal. NC chief, Farooq Abdullah, said that the government should reflect on the UCC, as it would raise a storm.
After PM Modi made a strong pitch for the UCC, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), met at a late-night emergency meeting on Tuesday. The UCC is one of the three ideological planks of the BJP besides building Ram temple at Ayodhya and abrogation of Article 370. Revoking the Article of the Constitution was a key part of the BJP’s core agenda, which the party fulfilled in 2019. As for building a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced at a rally in Tripura in January this year, that the Ram Temple would be ready for inauguration on 1 January 2024. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is opposed to the UCC, as it may affect some personal laws that the tribal community in the state follows, including multiple marriages.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M.K. Stalin too is opposed to the UCC and sees in it efforts by the BJP “to fan communal tensions to win elections”.