The BJP government of Uttarakhand is moving fast in this direction amidst the ongoing discussion on Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country. The committee constituted to prepare the draft of UCC has completed almost 90 percent of its work. As per indications, it seems that the committee will hand over the draft to the government by June 30.
After testing and legalizing it, the government will implement UCC in the state. This initiative of Uttarakhand also has special significance. It will become a model for the Center as well as other states. BJP can implement further strategy on the basis of Uttarakhand’s initiative regarding uniform civil code in election states in the near future.
The BJP had promised during last year’s assembly elections that it would implement the UCC in the state. After the formation of the party’s government again and Pushkar Singh Dhami getting the command again as the Chief Minister, the government and the organization did not take any time to take steps in this direction. The government constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Seni) on 27 May 2022 to prepare the draft of UCC.
The committee was given extension of six months in November last year and then four months this month. Till now, the committee has taken more than 2.5 lakh suggestions online, offline as well as through dialogue with heads of different classes, religions, political and social organizations, border areas. Based on these suggestions, the committee is now busy finalizing the draft. It is being told that about 90 percent of the work has been completed.
Recently, during a dialogue with the public and political parties in Dehradun, Chief Minister Dhami said that the committee is rapidly engaged in its work. Also indicated that the committee can hand over the draft to the government by June 30. It is clear that the government will implement the UCC after getting the Act passed by the assembly with some amendments, if necessary. In such a situation, the eyes of the country are fixed on Uttarakhand.
It is believed that the Uniform Civil Code to be implemented in Uttarakhand will include various aspects related to it and will emerge as a model. This will make the way easier for the Center as well as other states. If this law to be implemented in Uttarakhand is challenged in the court, then what will be the stand of the judiciary on it, it will be important for the Center. Not only this, the center can also analyze the stand of the opposition parties including the Congress in the center and the state from Uttarakhand.
Along with this, the issue of UCC is also of great importance for the BJP from a political point of view. After the UCC exercise in Uttarakhand, the Gujarat government also constituted a similar committee. The party also promised UCC in the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. It is a different matter that the power of Himachal slipped out of his hands. Keeping in view the relevance of UCC in the changed circumstances, BJP can now raise the issue of UCC in the assembly elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other states in the coming days. For this, the initiative of Uttarakhand will be made the basis.
The government is taking serious steps regarding UCC. The Drafting Committee is doing its work fast. It is expected that the committee will soon hand over the draft to the government. After this, the government will implement the UCC in the state by enacting a law. This initiative will become an example for other states of the country.
