Joining the ranks of his Bharatiya Janata Party counterparts in several other States, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that a committee would be constituted to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State.
Addressing an awareness convention on the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act in Barwani district, Mr. Chouhan further said that he favoured the implementation of the UCC, adding that only one spouse should be allowed for all citizens.
“I am in favour of the argument that the time has come for a Uniform Civil Code to be implemented in India. Why should anyone marry more than one [person]? Why should there be two Constitutions in one country? There should only be one,” he said.
“I am forming a committee in Madhya Pradesh [for the implementation of] Uniform Civil Code. If one has the right to have only one wife, so there should only be one.”
Article 44 of the Directive Principles in the Constitution says that the “State shall endeavour to provide for its citizens a uniform civil code (UCC) throughout the territory of India.” Though there is no draft or model document yet for the UCC, the framers of the Constitution envisioned that it would be a uniform set of laws that would replace the distinct personal laws of each religion with regard to matters like marriage, divorce, adoption, and inheritance.
Over the past month, especially during the election campaigns in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, several BJP leaders have raised the issue of UCC implementation. BJP-ruled Gujarat and Uttarakhand have already constituted a committee of experts to look into the roadmap for implementation. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai also said recently that his government is “seriously considering” implementing the UCC. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, too, had last week said in an election rally that a strong law against “love jihad” was required along with the UCC.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Chief Minister’s latest announcement, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee said that by making such claims “at a public forum”, Mr. Chouhan only wanted to reap political gains.
“Such a statement in a tribal dominated area is also an infringement of the tribal rights that allow for polygamy in certain cases. The CM should also tell us if there are any new findings or survey to suggest that such instances have gone up. But the government does not want to discuss the issue in the State Assembly or the parliament and simply aims to politicise the issue,” said Abbas Hafeed, spokesperson for the Congress in MP.
Published - December 01, 2022 10:30 pm IST
