‘No UCC in Bihar’: JD(U) reacts to Shah’s 2029 deadline statement

Party supremo and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had said that he backed the UCC bill in Parliament but would not let it implemented in Bihar. The party on Monday reasserted this position.

Union home minister Amit Shah’s statement that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be introduced in all NDA-ruled states by 2029 has stirred a political debate in Bihar where JD(U), the alliance’s most significant partner, has been reluctant to support the UCC’s implementation in its present template.

JD(U) leader Shyam Rajak (HT Photo)

Party supremo and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had actually said that he backed the UCC bill in Parliament but would not let it implemented in Bihar. The party on Monday reasserted this position.

The JD(U)’s overall stance so far has been that the UCC should not be rushed or imposed, and there should be an effort to build broad consensus through wide consultations with all stakeholders and religious groups.

When the 21st Law Commission of India initiated a consultation on the UCC in 2017 by issuing a questionnaire to examine whether a common set of personal laws governing marriage, divorce, and inheritance was desirable in India, the then Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) responded clearly, stating that any attempt to push it might prove counter-productive.

Razak said that although the government’s leadership may have changed hands in Bihar from the JD(U) to the BJP, it was still a coalition government comprising JD(U), HAM-S, LJP-R and RLM, and there was no question of the UCC being implemented in the state.

On the other hand, Bihar minister Ram Kripal Yadav backed Shah’s statement and said that within the next three years, before 2029, the UCC would be implemented across all states ruled by the BJP to help resolve “several issues”.

BJP state president Sanjay Saraogi blamed the Congress for creating a controversy over the issue. “The Congress party should not worry. The UCC is a necessity for this country, and that is why it is being implemented in different states. It has already been implemented in Uttarakhand, and it should be implemented in other states as well,” he added.

Another ally HAM-S president and Bihar minister Santosh Kumar Suman said there was nothing wrong with what Amit Shah had said, and it was very premature to speak on what the government would do. “The government will certainly hold consultations with all the alliance partners. It is not a question of any individual opinion,” he added, referring to JD(U) leader’s statement.

Amid the war of words, JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha, who is in Uttarakhand heading a parliamentary delegation, said his party leaders would soon meet Shah to discuss UCC implementation. “We will soon meet the home minister to discuss the issue,” he added.

The JD(U), with 12 Lok Sabha MPs, is a key ally of the BJP-led government at the Centre, and it is also in alliance with the BJP in Bihar.

The RJD, on the other hand, has started seeking clarification from the NDA allies regarding their stance on UCC implementation in light of Shah’s statement. “The NDA allies should come clean on it if they are all ready to accept the BJP ideology,” said RJD spokesman Ezaz Ahmad.

Though the impact of the UCC deadline on Bihar’s volatile politics is still unclear, experts see it as an indication of an assertive BJP, which may have far-reaching consequences and create a prospect of the BJP laying the foundation for the next election well in advance with a new combination, if the situation demands it.

“The JD(U) is not in a lead role any more and Nitish Kumar is no more the CM. That makes the JD(U) vulnerable. The BJP has also given a deadline of 2029, by when there are indications that the state’s geography may witness some change, especially with the minority-dominated Seemanchal forming part of a new proposed Union Territory,” said social analyst Prof NK Choudhary.

He said that Opposition parties like the RJD, Left, Congress, and the Jan Suraaj might cash in on the issue to win over minority votes and the state may see a rush to woo the minority voters. However, he avers, it could also trigger a counter-polarisation that might suit the BJP.

“The polarisation of Muslim votes will also lead to counter-polarisation, which will favour the BJP, as religious issues invariably override local issues in politics and the BJP has the knack of cashing it with dexterity,” he added.