Ahead of Assembly polls, Gujarat govt decides to form committee for Uniform Civil Code implementation

Days before the Election Commission of India announces dates for the Assembly polls, the Gujarat government on Saturday announced that a decision has been taken to form a committee for introducing contentious Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel while the information was made public from BJP headquarters at 'Kamalam' in Gandhinagar.

Announcing the decision, minister of state for home Harsh Shanghavi told reporters, "The cabinet ministers authorised the chief minister Bhupendra Patel to form the committee for introduction of Uniform Civil Code. Article 44 of Part 4 of the Constitution has provision for state government to apply common laws for its citizens."

Shanghavi, accompanied by union minister, Parshottam Rupala, claimed that there has been long standing demand from citizens from across the country to bring UCC in the country. Thanking the chief minister Patel for clearing the process of bringing the law, Rupala told reporters, "I am saying it with great pleasure that the slogans that we raised as youths like Ram Janmbhumi, Article 370 and Common Civil Code are still echoing in our hearts. After Ram Mandir and Kashmir (abrogation of article 370), Common Civil Code is now being dealt with, which is a matter of utmost happiness."

He explained that a four-member committee, headed by retired judge for either supreme court or high court, will be formed to take opinions of all stake holders. The BJP leaders also said that the committee will be formed before the model code of conduct comes into place. Answering to questions, Rupala said that UCC will not "override any fundamental rights provided in the constitution."

The union minister said that "UCC is only about resolving discrepancies arising in dispute which are civil in nature such as property claims by wife, daughter on their husband or father's property." He claimed that party and government received many representations from people on UCC. He also denied that the decision was taken in a haste aiming at the Assembly polls at hand.

More than an hour later, official spokesperson of Gujarat government, Jitu Vaghani, also announced the same, saying, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to implement the Common Civil Code across the country. In view of that decision chief minister Bhupendra Patel has decided to form a committee to implement the code."

The opposition Congress, meanwhile, termed the decision as "a trick to divert attention from issues such as unemployment, large-scale corruption in government recruitment and question paper leaks in recruitment exams."