Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would implement a Uniform Civil Code in West Bengal to end the “politics of appeasement”, PTI reported.
He made the remark a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while releasing the BJP’s manifesto in Kolkata, said that the party would implement the code in the state within six months if it was voted to power.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday criticised the BJP’s manifesto, claiming that the Uniform Civil Code would restrict people from practising their faith, The Indian Express reported.
A Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religious and tribal groups are based on community-specific laws, largely derived from religious scripture.
The introduction of a common personal law has for long been on the BJP’s agenda and several states ruled by the party have been making advances towards implementing it.
In January 2025, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code after independence. The Gujarat Assembly cleared a similar legislation on March 24 amid protests by the Opposition. A common civil code has been in place in Goa since the Portuguese Civil Code was adopted in 1867.
In its campaign for a Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, the BJP had mainly targeted Muslim personal law, arguing that it discriminated against women as it allows Muslim men to practice polygamy, inherit a greater share of property, initiate divorce and deny alimony.
Legal experts have said that Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code is drawn primarily from Hindu personal law and could lead to the erasure of the personal law practices of minority communities.
On Saturday, while addressing a rally at Jangipur in Murshidabad district, Modi also said that the Assembly polls in West Bengal were a battle to protect the state’s identity and future, PTI reported.
“The nation’s security is of paramount importance to us,” the news agency quoted him as saying. “The BJP’s resolve is to implement [the Uniform Civil Code] in West Bengal to end the politics of appeasement forever.”
He also claimed that demographic changes were taking place in parts of the state, adding that the BJP would not allow Bengalis to become a minority in the state.
Banerjee said at a rally in Paschim Medinipur district that the Uniform Civil Code would lead to a loss of the “right to practise [a person’s] religion and faith”, The Indian Express reported.
She added: “It will take away your culture, tradition and education. UCC means destruction of diversity. They want to make everything homogeneous.”
“We will oppose this,” the newspaper quoted Banerjee as saying. “UCC is dangerous.”
The Assembly elections in the state will be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
BJP tried to cancel candidature, alleges Banerjee
At the rally on Saturday, Banerjee also alleged that the BJP tried to get her candidature from the Bhabanipur constituency cancelled “with the Election Commission’s help” by filing “two false affidavits”. She said that the alleged attempt was foiled by Trinamool Congress workers and the public.
Banerjee is the MLA from Bhabanipur and will be contesting the polls from the constituency again. She is fighting against BJP MLA and Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Also read:
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