Uniform Civil Code: Meaning of sudden discussion of Uniform Civil Code
Image Credit source: Freepik/NewsNCR GFX
BJP in the midst of assembly elections in five states including Uttar Pradesh (BJP) Uniform Civil Code now with its quiver (Uniform Civil Code) That is, the arrow of Uniform Civil Code is left. Just before the end of the second round of election campaign in UP, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh openly said, "Uniform civil code has been our ideological commitment. We abolished 370, Ram Mandir (Ram Temple) It is also being made and triple talaq has also ended. Certainly the party will also consider Uniform Civil Code in the coming days. Uttarakhand's caretaker CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also said shortly before the election campaign was over that soon after the swearing-in of the new BJP government in the state, the government would form a committee to prepare a draft for the Uniform Civil Code. So that the Uniform Civil Code can be implemented as soon as possible. There is no denying that Uniform Civil Code has been an integral part of BJP's manifesto since its inception. But it is also true that the Modi government is about to complete 8 years in the power of the Center, despite this no draft has been prepared till date. Then what should be the meaning of the sudden entry of Uniform Civil Code in the middle of the election?
Uniform Civil Code is not a new subject
Uniform civil code is not a new topic of debate. The framers of the constitution had also discussed a lot on this subject. As the Chairman of the Draft Committee of the Constitution of India, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar had strongly spoken in favor of Uniform Civil Code in the debates of the Constituent Assembly. Implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in our Constitution is recorded as the responsibility of the state under Article 44, despite this the issue has been debated for the last seven decades. How the points of equality among many religions, sects, caste, varna and region will be found in a pluralistic country, no form of government has been revealed so far. Whereas in the case of Mohammad Ahmed Khan vs Shah Bano Begum and others,
The Supreme Court, while delivering its judgment on the issue of maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, after Shah Bano's husband declared a divorce against her, Chief Justice Y. V. Chandrachud had said that Parliament should prepare a uniform civil code. Then came the case of Sarla Mudgal et al. vs Union of India et al., where the Supreme Court urged the government to implement a Uniform Civil Code to protect the country and ensure national integration.
Now that the BJP, which has been in power at the Center since 2014, has clearly stated in its national election manifesto, "BJP believes that there will be no gender equality in the country unless India adopts a Uniform Civil Code." It protects the rights of all women of the country and BJP is committed to draft a Uniform Civil Code, which is based on best traditions and gives them a chance to adjust with the modern times. ' BJP's 8 years in power at the Center are nearing, but the commitment to prepare the draft is still being used as a weapon of polarization in the elections. Whereas countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, Sudan and Egypt have implemented this law in their own right.
Why the sudden entry of Uniform Civil Code?
The leaders, who have turned Uttar Pradesh upside down as a political laboratory of polarization, seem to be facing a major setback in this election. Despite all the efforts, like the 2017 elections, there is no visible polarization of votes in the name of religion in this election. Political pundits believe that to influence the second phase of polling, the BJP may have raised the slogan of Uniform Civil Code. At the same time, it is being said in Uttarakhand that BJP is badly trapped in a direct fight with Congress, so CM Dhami has played a trick to make voters in his favor by raising this issue. Now how successful this move of BJP is, it will be known only on March 10, but the truth cannot be denied whether the issue is of Article 370, construction of Ram temple or triple talaq law, in fact these Despite lakhs of efforts on all issues, the polarization of votes has now become a far-fetched one. Therefore, BJP wants to save issues like Population Control Act and Uniform Civil Code for the politics of the times to come. Yes, where it seems that by chanting this raga, the election can be polarized in one's favor, then suddenly its entry is made there. Sensing the political situation in the country heated up by the Hijab episode in Karnataka, BJP leaders have chanted this melody.
Why is Uniform Civil Code necessary?
When we talk about Uniform Civil Code in India, it means that there should be a common law for every citizen living in this country, irrespective of religion or caste. When we talk about Uniform Civil Code, the laws of marriage, divorce, succession, adoption will apply equally to all religions. That is to say, the Uniform Civil Code is a secular law that applies equally to people of all religions. With its implementation, the same law will come for every religion, that is, the tradition of ending the relationship by allowing Muslims to do three marriages and talaq only three times to the wife will end. At present, according to different religions in the country, there are different laws for such matters. Like Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, Indian Christian Marriage Act, Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act etc. In addition, Muslim personal laws for Muslims are based on their religious texts, the Qur'an, and traditions i.e. Hadith. Different laws of different religions put a burden on the judiciary. After the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code, the cases pending in the courts for years will be decided soon. There will be same law for all in marriage, divorce, adoption and division of property, irrespective of religion. Equality in law for all will increase unity in the country and the country where there is unity among citizens, there is no animosity, that country will move forward on the path of rapid development. This will also affect the politics of the country and political parties will not be able to do vote bank politics, that is, there will be no polarization of votes.
However, under the guise of the controversy that started in Karnataka regarding the hijab, the BJP has tried to target many targets with one arrow, but the important target is the polarization of votes in the UP elections. BJP leaders are not failing to say that if the arbitrariness of a particular community is to be stopped in the name of any religion, then it is necessary to implement Uniform Civil Code. The BJP feels that, especially in UP and Uttarakhand, the slogan of Uniform Civil Code for polarization of votes can benefit it. Therefore, by linking it to the Hijab episode of Karnataka, the BJP has raised the issue, but how much this issue translates into votes, it will be known only on the 10th of next month when the mandate of all the five states including UP and Uttarakhand will come out. .
(The author is a senior journalist, the views expressed in the article are the personal of the author.)
read this also-
