Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday declared that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented across the country within the next five years following consultations with all the stakeholders if the Narendra Modi government returns to power.
The minister also said that the government will also implement the ‘One Nation, One Election’ for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the country.
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"The UCC is a responsibility left to us, our Parliament and the state legislatures of our country since independence by the makers of our Constitution. The guiding principles decided for us by the Constituent Assembly include the Uniform Civil Code. And even at that time, legal scholars like K M Munshi, Rajendra Babu, Ambedkar Ji had said that there should not be laws based on religion in a secular country. There should be a Uniform Civil Code," Shah told news agency PTI in an interview.
Citing Uttarakhand which recently implemented UCC, Shah said that the law made by the Pushkar Singh Dhami government should undergo social and legal scrutiny. He added that the religious leaders should be consulted.
“What I mean is that there should be an extensive debate on this. And if there is anything to change in the model law made by the Uttarakhand government after this extensive debate. Because someone will definitely go to court. The judiciary's opinion will also come,” Shah added further.
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"After that, the state legislatures and Parliament of the country should think seriously over this and a law must be enacted. That is why we have written in our 'sankalp patra' that the BJP aims to have a Uniform Civil Code for the entire country," the minister added.
‘One Nation, One Election’
Responding to the question on simultaneous elections, Shah said,"The Prime Minister had formed the Ram Nath Kovind committee. I was also a member of it. Its report has been submitted. The time has come that elections should be held simultaneously in the country."
{{/usCountry}}Responding to the question on simultaneous elections, Shah said,"The Prime Minister had formed the Ram Nath Kovind committee. I was also a member of it. Its report has been submitted. The time has come that elections should be held simultaneously in the country."
{{/usCountry}}“Our resolution is for five years. We will bring it during this period,” he added.