The Congress on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark during his Independence Day speech that Indians are living with a “communal civil code” was a “gross insult” to BR Ambedkar.
In his speech at Delhi’s Red Fort, Modi called for discussions on implementing a Uniform Civil Code in the country, saying that it needed to be “secular” and not “discriminatory”.
The Uniform Civil Code is a proposed common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religious and tribal groups – except in Uttarakhand and Goa – are based on community-specific laws, largely derived from religious scripture.
Referring to the Uniform Civil Code in his speech, Modi said: “A large section of the country believes, and it is true, that the civil code that we are living with is actually a communal civil code.”
The prime minister added that the “need of the hour” was to implement a “secular civil code” in the country. “Only then would we be free of the discrimination on the basis of religion.”
In response to Modi’s remarks, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that the claim that the country was living with a communal civil code till now was “a gross insult to Dr. Ambedkar, who was the greatest champion of reforms in Hindu personal laws that became a reality by the mid-1950s”.
He added that these reforms had been “bitterly opposed” by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Jana Sangh.
Ramesh that the prime minister’s “capacity for malice, mischief, and maligning of history knows no bounds”.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was established in 1951 as a political party ideologically affiliated to the RSS. The BJP traces its roots to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Ramesh also referred to the “Consultation Paper on Family Law Reform” published by the 21st Law Commission in 2018.
“While diversity of Indian culture can and should be celebrated, specific groups or weaker sections of society must not be dis-privileged in the process,” Ramesh quoted the text as saying. “Resolution of this conflict does not mean abolition of all differences”.
“This [21st Law] Commission has therefore dealt with laws that are discriminatory rather than providing a uniform civil code which is neither necessary nor desirable at this stage,” he said, quoting the text. “Most countries are moving towards recognition of differences and the mere existence of difference does not imply discrimination, but is indicative of a robust democracy.”
Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja also said that Modi’s speech on Independence Day failed to address concerns about protecting the country’s plurality and diversity, PTI reported. “He is trying to impose uniformity on the country,” he alleged.
The BJP claims that a Uniform Civil Code would ensure equality and justice for women, who are often denied rights under patriarchal personal laws. Critics, however, argue that the move could lead to the erasure of the personal law practices of minority communities.
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