UCC issue yet to flare up in Bengal as BJP goes slow on it

Kolkata, July 1 Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi is maintaining a high pitch in his arguments for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country, in West Bengal it is yet to become a major issue or even a hot topic of discussion.

Political observers feel that there are two reasons why the UCC is not becoming a hot topic in the state. The first reason is the increasing political heat over the forthcoming polls for the three-tier panchayat system with violence and clashes already taking a toll of 12 lives. According to political commentators, since both the ruling and opposition parties are engrossed in this, they are yet to focus on the UCC as a political issue.

Another factor is that the BJP leadership in West Bengal is itself keeping a low profile in highlighting the Prime Minister’s arguments in favour of implementing the UCC.

Also, while both the Trinamool Congress and the CPI(M) had objected to the move on the UCC at the national level, their state leaderships are more or less silent so far on the matter.

According to the Trinamool Congress’ leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien the UCC issue has been raised by the Prime Minister before the 2024 big battle because he understands that the people are generally unhappy over the loss of jobs and inflation, among others. “This is a clear and definite attempt to divert attention from these burning issues,” he said.

The CPI(M) politburo has issued a statement claiming that given the context of the communal politics practiced by the Hindutva brigade and the ensuing insecurity among the minorities, particularly the Muslim community, the recommendation by the Supreme Court for a Uniform Civil Code, instead of helping “the cause of national integration", will have the reverse effect.

“Many of the personal laws of different communities including those of the majority community discriminate against women and are not in consonance with the rights accorded to Indian citizens by the Constitution of India. What is urgently required is reform in various personal laws. This is an exercise that brooks no delay,” the statement read.

Some political observers feel that besides the engagements for the panchayat elections, there might be yet another reason why the BJP leaders are maintaining a low profile on this issue in the state. They feel that the saffron camp is deliberately taking cautious strides to avoid providing a chance to the Trinamool Congress's anti-BJP narrative in the matter amid the rural civic body polls this year as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Political commentator Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay said that in November 2016, there was a mega assembly of thousands of Imams from different parts of West Bengal, where they clearly said that they would not accept the uniform civil code.

“Remember, the then Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Late Sultan Ahmed was one of the key speakers at the assembly where he clearly said the uniform civil code is an election toy for the BJP. Now in West Bengal, Muslim voters contribute 33 per cent of the total votes. So in my opinion, the BJP is adopting a cautious approach so that the current wave of anti-Trinamool Congress narrative in the state over the corruption issues does not get converted into an anti-BJP narrative over the UCC,” Bandopadhyay said.

Political commentator and columnist Amal Sarkar pointed out that despite creating a massive wave before the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, the BJP was stopped at 77 in the 294-seat assembly.

“That was because there was complete consolidation of the Muslim votes in favour of the Trinamool Congress. Mamata Banerjee was able to achieve that by successfully floating an anti-BJP narrative on the twin issues of the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Probably that experience is fresh in the minds of the state BJP leaders and hence they are treading cautiously on the uniform civil code issue,” he added.

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