The Aam Aadmi Party has extended its "in-principle" support for the Uniform Civil Code and said that the matter needs wider consultation with all stakeholders. AAP's Rajya Sabha MP and Gujarat in-charge of the party Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday said: "We support Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in principle as Article 44 also says that there should be UCC in the country. Therefore, there should be wide consultation with all religions, political parties and organizations and a consensus should be built."
Pathak further said that UCC is a broader issue and needs a through discussion and hence cannot be implemented in an 'authoritarian' way.
On Wednesday, Law Commission Chairman Justice Rituraj Awasthi said that the panel had received a good response to its notice seeking opinions and views of various stakeholders, including members of the public and religious organisations.
Awasthi was quoted by news agency ANI as saying, "We have got a huge response over the Uniform Civil Code after the communication of the notice by Law Commission. Till yesterday [Tuesday], we have received 8.5 lakh responses."
"UCC is not a new issue, the reference was received in 2016 and a consultation paper was released in 2018. From 2018 to November 2022, the Law Commission was not functional. In November last year, appointments were made and this matter was taken up," he said.
The Law Commission in June had sought the public's views on the UCC. After the opinions of various stakeholders are received, the panel will deliberate on the various aspects of UCC and the possibility of its implementation. "We are making efforts to have wide consultations with all the stakeholders and the organisations," Awasthi said.
What PM Modi Said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advocated the implementation of a UCC, saying that there cannot be different sets of laws for the same people in the country. "How will the country run with different laws? People are only being instigated in the name of the Uniform Civil Code. Two types of laws cannot run the country. The Constitution of India also talks about equal rights for the citizens," he said at a rally in Bhopal.
Opposition Hits Out
Soon after PM Modi's statement, Opposition parties slammed him for advocating a single law for the entire nation. The Opposition alleged that this was a tact to "divert attention from real issues". While the Congress accused the BJP of ignoring important matters like unemployment, inflation, and the situation in Manipur, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi challenged the Prime Minister to abolish the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) law, which, he claimed, cost the country billions of rupees annually.
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