Uniform Civil Code on "electoral agenda" of BJP, says Kerala CM Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 30 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is on the "electoral agenda" of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Triggering debates around Uniform Civil Code is an electoral ploy by Sangh Parivar to press their majoritarian agenda for deepening communal divide. Let's oppose any attempts to undermine India's pluralism and support reforms through democratic discussions within communities," Kerala CM tweeted.

He further urged the Union Government and the Law Commission to withdraw the motion and not forcefully implement the same.

"Central Government and Law Commission should withdraw the move to impose a Uniform Civil Code," he said.

"We cannot blame anyone who suspects that the discussion on UCC is to undermine the country's pluralism and establish majority dominance. This move can only be seen as part of a communal agenda to eliminate the country's cultural diversity and enforce 'One Nation One Culture'," said Pinarayi.

"Rather than imposing a UCC, efforts should be made to reform and amend discriminatory practices within personal laws. The support of that particular community is essential for such efforts. It should be through discussions involving all the stakeholders, he added.

He further said that reform movements in any religion have evolved from within. It's not an issue that can be resolved through an executive order. In 2018, the Law Commission arrived at the assessment that UCC was neither essential nor desirable at this phase.

Earlier on June 27, batting for the UCC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country cannot be run with "two laws" when the Constitution of India talks about equality for all. He asked how different rules could apply to different family members.

"Will a family function if there are two different sets of rules for people? Then how will a country run? Our Constitution too guarantees equal rights to all people," PM Modi said.

The Uniform Civil Code is a proposal in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation. Currently, the personal laws of various communities are governed by their religious scriptures.

Also on June 14, the Law Commission of India solicited the views and ideas of the public and recognized religious organizations to examine the Uniform Civil Code.

The Law Commission has given 30 days to the respondents to present their views.

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