What a master stroke has Prime Minister Narendra Modi played in his 11th Independence Day speech by renaming the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)? He called the existing code in the country as Communal Civil Code and advocated for Secular Civil Code in its place. It is said that what is in a name. But in politics, name is everything. Last year, the opposition named its alliance as India. After this, the NDA government at the center started promoting the word Bharat. India was removed from many places. Just as the opposition had gained an edge over the ruling alliance by naming the alliance as India, in the same way the central government is thinking of gaining an edge over the opposition by naming the Universal Civil Code as Secular Civil Code.
This move of PM Modi is being considered a game changer for BJP in view of the upcoming assembly elections. Indian Express writes that PM Modi’s allegation seems to be an indirect attack on secular opposition parties, who have always targeted BJP’s UCC agenda. In fact, after the Shah Bano decision of the Supreme Court in 1985, the way former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s government disregarded the Supreme Court’s decision by making a law, since then BJP has been raising the demand for UCC on a large scale. Many parties in the country have been taking votes from the Muslim community by creating fear of UCC, but have been turning a blind eye to the benefits it will bring. Now the ball is in the opposition’s court. The Bharatiya Janata Party has got a chance to attack the opposition in the upcoming assembly elections.
It is a simple matter that the so-called liberals of the country are not going to support it just by changing the name to Secular Civil Code. But yes, it is definitely going to create problems for them. And also, BJP will not want the liberal brigade and the opposition to support the secular code. Because if the opposition and the liberal brigade support this law, then BJP will not even get a chance to do politics. It will be good for BJP that everyone together opposes the secular civil code.
Vir Sanghvi once wrote that it is surprising that even those who express respect for Nehru and Ambedkar reject the appeal of these two leaders for a Uniform Civil Code. Ramchandra Guha is not a Hindu communalist but in 2016 he wrote – ‘I believe that the leftist intellectuals opposing the Uniform Civil Code are rejecting the progressive legacy of socialist and feminist movements in India and around the world. Whether they accept it or not, they seem to be advocating the status quo, whose oppressed and confused arguments only serve the interests of Muslim men and Islamic mullahs.’
When Guha wrote this, the debate was going on at the intellectual level. Today it is more on the ground of reality. Modi government could not bring Uniform Civil Code before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but now it is going to enter the field with full preparation. Actually, out of the special targets of BJP, Ram Mandir, Article 370 have been completed. Only Uniform Civil Code is left. It is obvious that the government will try to finish this work soon.
The constitutional vision of UCC has been gender-just reform and uniformity in personal laws. This is the reason why many members of the Constituent Assembly during 1947-50 wanted its proper provision in the Constitution. A significant section of the leadership of the freedom struggle was in the hands of progressive people. Perhaps this was the reason why the Constituent Assembly decided to move towards uniformity in personal laws determining marriage and succession. Prominent leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar wanted the Uniform Civil Code to be implemented. But this could not happen.
On PM Modi’s talk of bringing secularism from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Dilip Mandal writes on X that giving men the facility of four marriages and keeping women in constant fear that ‘I will bring one more’ is an uncivilized and primitive idea. Now this will stop. It is too late to fulfill the dream of the Constitution makers and especially Baba Saheb of uniform civil.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken about fulfilling the dream of a uniform civil code in his address at the Red Fort today. The nation should welcome it. This is necessary to make the laws of marriage, family and inheritance uniform. In Article 44 of the Constitution, the government has been given the responsibility of making a uniform civil code. But due to political reasons, that work was not completed. Baba Saheb’s speech in the Constituent Assembly should be read about why the laws related to family, marriage, divorce and inheritance should not be different. Uniform civil code was Baba Saheb’s proposal. But due to opposition from Muslim members, it could not be implemented.
The biggest reason for this was that the Constituent Assembly had decided that everything would be done by consensus. Parliament is not bound by this. Parliament runs by majority and in some cases by two-third majority. That is why the Constitution makers gave this task to Parliament. This will open the way for the liberation of all women. It is hoped that the present Parliament will fulfill that historic responsibility and Baba Saheb’s dream will come true.
What I mean to say is that during the last Lok Sabha elections, the opposition spread a false propaganda and proved the BJP to be anti-constitutional. Due to which the party was deprived of the votes of the Dalit community. Now if the BJP brings this in the Parliament, it will get an opportunity to call the opponents anti-constitutional.
The kind of opposition the government faced on the Waqf Bill, it is expected that such opposition is not going to be seen on the Secular Civil Code. Just as Congress never openly opposed CAA, it is believed that it is not going to make the same mistake on the Secular Civil Code. A mistake made by former PM Rajiv Gandhi has been costly for the Congress till now. In the Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi had ruined his modern image by making a law against the court’s decision. The kind of opposition that was expected from the opposition is not visible till now. No one is opposing the Secular Civil Code in such a way that they will not let it be implemented. Or they will protest by taking to the streets. See the statements of Congress leaders.
Congress leader Pawan Khera says that PM Modi called Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s civil code a communal code. Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s reaction is also centered around the Constitution. He has said that the Constitution is the greatest. Whatever the Constitution allows will happen. Similarly, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati’s main focus is also on calling Baba Saheb’s Constitution communal. No one is saying that they will protest by taking to the streets. The kind of decision Congress has taken on the Dalit quota, it is expected that the party is going to take the same decision on the Secular Civil Code.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)