GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government on Saturday announced that it has decided to form a committee to implement the uniform civil code (UCC) in the state. Junior home minister Harsh Sanghavi said the decision was taken in accordance with constitutional provisions (Article 44 of Part 4) that expect the state government to have a common law for all citizens.
“This is a historic decision by CM Bhupendra Patel. Our government has honoured the wish of common people as well as BJP workers to have such a code,” he said. Union minister Parshottam Rupala asserted that the proposed UCC will not violate fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. He stated that the Hindu Marriage Act and Muslim personal laws will be covered under the uniform code as these laws are not part of the Constitution. “We do not intend to override people’s fundamental rights. UCC is about resolving discrepancies arising in civil disputes, such as a wife’s or daughter’s claim on the husband’s or father’s property. We had received many representations from people about such issues,” said Rupala.
He said the announcement had nothing to do with the upcoming polls, dismissing criticism by the opposition that BJP was trying to polarise votes by promising UCC. “The committee will evaluate various aspects related to UCC and submit its report, based on which the state government will take a final decision about its implementation,” Rupala further said. No deadline has been set for the committee to submit its report, he said.
Rupala said BJP had been working for decades on issues such as construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370 from J&K and implementation of UCC. The first two “have become a reality” and now “I congratulate the Gujarat government” for its decision on UCC, he said.
“This is a historic decision by CM Bhupendra Patel. Our government has honoured the wish of common people as well as BJP workers to have such a code,” he said. Union minister Parshottam Rupala asserted that the proposed UCC will not violate fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. He stated that the Hindu Marriage Act and Muslim personal laws will be covered under the uniform code as these laws are not part of the Constitution. “We do not intend to override people’s fundamental rights. UCC is about resolving discrepancies arising in civil disputes, such as a wife’s or daughter’s claim on the husband’s or father’s property. We had received many representations from people about such issues,” said Rupala.
He said the announcement had nothing to do with the upcoming polls, dismissing criticism by the opposition that BJP was trying to polarise votes by promising UCC. “The committee will evaluate various aspects related to UCC and submit its report, based on which the state government will take a final decision about its implementation,” Rupala further said. No deadline has been set for the committee to submit its report, he said.
Rupala said BJP had been working for decades on issues such as construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, abrogation of Article 370 from J&K and implementation of UCC. The first two “have become a reality” and now “I congratulate the Gujarat government” for its decision on UCC, he said.
