A Uniform Civil Code should be formulated for the country, but the Bharatiya Janata Party lacks the intent to do so, Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.
A Uniform Civil Code involves having a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all Indians, instead of allowing different personal laws for people of different faiths.
At a press conference in Bhavnagar, Kejriwal said that ahead of state elections, the BJP was bluffing the voters in Gujarat about implementing the Uniform Civil Code. On Saturday, the Gujarat had cleared a proposal to form a committee to implement the code.
On Sunday, the Delhi chief minister said that according to Article 44 of the Constitution it was the responsibility of the government to formulate the Uniform Civil Code.
“A Uniform Civil Code should definitely be made...A code that takes the interests of all communities into account,” he said.
He added that had the BJP been serious about the matter, the party would have implemented the Uniform Civil Code in states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh where it is in power. He said that like in Gujarat, the BJP had formed a committee for implementing Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand before Assembly elections in the state earlier this year.
“After winning the Uttarakhand elections, that committee went back home,” Kejriwal said. “Now three days before Gujarat elections they have formed a panel, this will also go back home after the elections.”
The aim of Uniform Civil Code is meant to ensure equality and justice for women in particular, who are often denied their rights in marriage, divorce and inheritance under patriarchal personal laws.
On Saturday, Union minister Parshottam Rupala had said that the committee in Gujarat will be constituted under a retired judge of the High Court.
“The cabinet has given the chief minister [Bhupendra Patel] the right to constitute the committee and it is expected to comprise three-four members,” Rupala had said, according to The Indian Express. “Its scope of work too will be decided. I believe when the committee is announced, the timeline too will be declared.”
Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly are expected to be held by the end of this year. However, the polling dates are yet to be announced by the Election Commission.
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