Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 4 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Reddy on Saturday accused the Muslim Law Board of opposing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), asserting that its "intellectuals" should understand that UCC is not a "Hindu Civil Code."
Speaking to ANI, Reddy highlighted the importance of UCC, adding that there cannot be two laws in the country at one time.
"The Muslim Law Board is opposing the UCC bill passed in Gujarat. But the Muslim Law Board and the intellectuals of this country should understand that the Uniform Civil Code doesn't mean a Hindu Civil Code, a Buddhist Civil Code, a Jain Civil Code, or a Muslim Civil Code. It's a Uniform Civil Code for the people of this country. There can't be two laws in the country," he said.
The BJP leader further cited the Supreme Court's directive on the implementation of UCC to the government and emphasised its delay several times due to political reasons, adding that different states are passing UCC for their personal needs and maintaining land order.
"The Supreme Court has repeatedly directed the Indian government to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the interest of the people. However, this has been postponed many times due to political reasons. Nevertheless, different states are passing UCC bills for their own needs, to maintain land order, and we should welcome this. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised that if voted to power, we will implement the UCC in Assam," said Reddy.
This comes amidst the BJP's recent promise of implementing the Uniform Civil Code in Assam in their election manifesto, once they return to power in the state.
While releasing the BJP's manifesto for Assam polls on Wednesday, following the footsteps of Uttarakhand and Gujarat, and tapping into the BJP's core agenda, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promised a Uniform Civil Code and action against the alleged "love jihad". The UCC, he said, will exclude the areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and will not be implemented on tribal communities.
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a proposed legal system in India that seeks to establish a single set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and succession for all citizens. Instead of having different personal laws based on religion, gender, or caste, the UCC aims to create a common framework that applies equally to everyone.