The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the party was hopeful that after Uttarakhand, other BJP-ruled states would follow suit soon
The Narendra Modi government may not be keen on bringing any law pertaining to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) through Parliament and would instead prefer states to bring in their own legislation, top Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) sources said on Friday.
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The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the party was hopeful that after Uttarakhand, other BJP-ruled states would follow suit soon. States such as Gujarat and Assam are already in the process of passing UCC laws.
This February, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand passed the UCC Bill, becoming India’s first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code, which entails common laws for marriage, divorce and inheritance, among others, for all religions.
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Meanwhile, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Friday he would wait for the law commission’s evaluation of the issue. Last month, he had said the issue was still on the government’s agenda.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) was wary of the 22nd Law Commission seeking public opinion on the contentious issue of UCC. Even Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram — an RSS affiliate that focuses on the welfare of members of the Scheduled Tribes in remote areas of India — told News18 last year they too had objections on the issue. The RSS affiliate had doubts about marriage and property rights issues among tribals.
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In the third term of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, the BJP doesn’t have simple majority and is dependent on its allies, including the Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal (United). The JD(U) has earlier indicated that a decision on UCC would require consensus.
