"Caste system should break," Congress' Udit Raj questions BJP on push for UCC in states
Sep 14, 2026
New Delhi [India], September 14 : Congress leader Udit Raj on Monday said that the caste system should break and questioned what would change with the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), arguing that ending caste divisions was a bigger challenge for the country.
Speaking to ANI, Raj said, “Uniform Civil Code will be implemented. It is already implemented in many places. What will happen if a Uniform Civil Code is implemented? Is the caste system breaking? Actually, the caste system should break.”
He said that as long as India remained divided into castes, the country could not progress, including in the fields of science and technology. He also said politics should be issue-based and alleged that caste divisions could lead to conflict between different groups.
“As long as India remains divided into castes, nothing can happen; neither science and technology will develop, politics will be issue-based, and civil war will continue among us—one caste against another,” Raj said.
“Caste is the biggest disease in this country. So, find a solution for that; they are not finding a solution,” he added.
The Congress leader alleged that a Hindu-Muslim narrative was being created to ensure that vote banks remained intact, while the focus should instead be on breaking the caste system.
“In this, they want to create a narrative of Hindus and Muslims so that their vote bank remains intact, but breaking the caste system is the biggest challenge in our country,” he said.
Udit Raj said a person’s caste should not determine their greatness, prestige or respect, arguing that every human being is born through the same process.
“A human is born through the same path, the same process. Only if someone is born into any caste, their greatness, prestige, and respect are born with them. So that should break,” he said.
His remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Uniform Civil Code would be implemented across all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before 2029.
Setting a definitive legislative timeline, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented across all 21 states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) before 2029.Speaking at an event in Mumbai, the Home Minister also emphasised that India's national security posture has fundamentally transformed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership through decisive cross-border operations.
"We introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in several states. I am confident that we will implement the UCC in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before 2029...Operations such as the surgical strikes, air strikes, and Operation Sindoor have established a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, while security has been prioritised across various sectors," Shah said.
The UCC Bill has already been introduced and passed in three states -- Uttarakhand in February 2024, Gujarat in March 2026 and Assam in May 2026.