Dhami’s uniform civil code promise sparks political slugfest in U’khand
And the main thing is that it is the domain of the Centre to take a call on UCC. The intention of the BJP government in making such an announcement on the last day of the elections is to polarise the elections as part of last-minute desperate measure.
GANESH GODIYAL, State Congress president
DEHRADUN: Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s promise to bring a uniform civil code (UCC) in Uttarakhand has sparked a war of words between the BJP and Congress in the state. The Congress has questioned how can a state government bring UCC when it is in the domain of the Centre, while experts say it will open a Pandora’s box.
Congress leader Harish Rawat told media that implementing UCC is the domain of the Centre, not the state government.
“This clearly shows that CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has realised that he and his party are going to lose the elections. And this is not the issue of the elections. The issue of elections is bread and butter of people, employment, price hike, people dying during Covid, all these are the issues that need to be addressed...”
Ganesh Godiyal, state Congress president, said instead of answering people why they failed to provide jobs to the youth, why they failed to check inflation has now resorted to such gimmicks to mislead people. “And the main thing is that it is the domain of the Centre to take a call on UCC. The intention of the BJP government in making such an announcement on the last day of the elections is to polarise the elections as part of last-minute desperate measure,” he said
Dhami, when questioned by local media in Khatima about this issue, said bringing UCC is important for Uttarakhand. “Our state has border with two countries…Uttarakhand is the source of sacred Ganga…this land is Devbhoomi, a sacred land…our milieu here is peaceful…so laws should be same for everyone here…so we have resolved to form a committee when we form the government, which will draft the UCC…and then we implement the same here”.
“Goa is an example before us. The Supreme Court has also from time to time stressed that it needs to be implemented by the governments and has even expressed its displeasure over the same…. UCC will also ensure Article 44 of Constitution is followed... and it will bring equality, all people will be under the purview of same laws…”
Devendra Bhasin, state BJP vice president, said that when a CM announces something, it is done after looking into all technicalities. “And why should anybody object to having same laws for everyone? This is step to bring equality for all citizens of this country”, he said
Article 44 of the Constitution states, “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.”
Dhami on Saturday announced that BJP will “bring a draft Uniform Civil Code” immediately after coming to power in the state. “It will cover issues related to marriage, divorce, property and heir/heiress for all citizens in the state irrespective of which religion they follow.”
Political analyst SMA Kazmi said the announcement has raised questions as to whether the state can do it and if it can do, how will it do it, given the practical problems it will create. “Uttarakhand has over 13% Muslim population. How will they bring Muslim Personal Law or family law code under this remains ambiguous. If the state brings UCC, what will happen in case of Muslims from the state who go to other state for jobs? Or Muslims from other states who come here. Will it still be applicable to them? And the same Constitution also says that customary laws of a place or tribal laws of a place need to be respected and followed..”
“I think it is a political gimmick, as implementing it will open a Pandora’s box. The government had earlier announced a committee to look into the so-called land jehad. What happened to that?” he asked.
A Muslim scholar, wishing not to be named, said, “This announcement should not be seen just from the lens of elections. It is part of BJP’s long game. They are basically experimenting with UCC in a small state like Uttarakhand, which has 13% Muslim population. And after seeing the results here, they will bring it at the national level. Also, many of them feel that Muslim population is increasing in many areas of Uttarakhand, especially Muslims from Uttar Pradesh are settling in Uttarakhand. They want to check that trend also.”
Anoop Nautiyal, Dehradunbased social activist , said that at a time when the BJP government ought to have focused on mains questions like employment, they have shifted the goal post by this announcement. “People of the state are more interested in jobs, development, roads, better connectivity, improving the local economy,” he said.