Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday targeted the BJP over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and said it is the party’s agenda to start speaking about religion whenever elections near.
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Questioning the BJP line that the UCC was "envisaged in the Constitution", Mann argued that its implementation has to take place only when all citizens are socially equal.
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Mann's remarks on the UCC came days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) extended its “in-principle support” to it but said it should be brought in with a consensus after extensive consultations with stakeholders.
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Last month, Prime Minister Modi, while addressing BJP workers in Bhopal, made a strong push for a UCC, asking how can the country function with two sets of laws that govern personal matters, and accused the Opposition of using the issue to "mislead and provoke" the Muslim community.
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Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav raised similar questions on the UCC issue and accused the BJP of indulging in "polarisation".
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Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Yadav, when asked to make his stand and that of the party on the UCC, said, "Whenever the elections come, the BJP people start talking about polarisation like this, and they start doing politics of appeasement."
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Mann said the country is like a “bouquet which has flowers of all colours”.
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Every religion has its own culture and customs, he said, adding “You (BJP) want the bouquet of only one colour. Each religion has its own culture and customs.”
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Mann further said, “It is the agenda of the BJP whenever elections are near they start speaking about religion. The AAP does not interfere in religion as it is a secular party.”
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Yadav said the BJP is trying to finish the opposition. "But the opposition will unite to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and they will not be able to stop the opposition,” he added.
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"The opposition is completely united," Yadav said.
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Earlier, the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had slammed the Centre over the UCC, saying that “the UCC is being widely talked about since the BJP government has nothing to say on demonetisation and withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes from circulation”.
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A UCC typically means having a common law for all citizens of the country that is not based on religion. Personal laws and laws related to inheritance, adoption and succession are likely to be covered by a common code.
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The implementation of a UCC has been part of BJP election manifestos. Uttarakhand is already in the process of framing its common code. The BJP had promised a uniform civil code in Karnataka ahead of the recent assembly elections.