Uniform Civil Code (UCC) implemented Uttarakhand Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said this is a model law which will be widely debated and then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments will bring a Uniform Civil Code in all states, accusing the Congress of weakening the Constitution and appeasement. Accused of promoting politics. ,
Responding to the debate on the 75th year of the Constitution Rajya SabhaThe combative Shah drew differences between the constitutional amendments brought by the Congress and the BJP, arguing that the BJP pushed for the changes for personal gain and power. In the 85-minute speech, he also alleged that the Congress never respected reservations, wanted to break the 50% limit to bring in religion-based quota, and attacked the opposition party over the imposition of Emergency.
“We work democratically… A law that brought about huge changes in social life was passed as a model law UttarakhandIt will be legally examined and discussed by religious heads…suggestions will be accepted. After that, BJP governments will bring a uniform civil code in all states,” he said.
“It could not be brought till now due to the appeasement politics of Congress.”
UCC refers to a common set of laws that will amalgamate the customary laws of different religions and govern issues such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and maintenance. Part of the trinity of core ideological goals of the BJP, the UCC was one of the party’s poll promises in the 2022 assembly elections.
Last February, Uttarakhand passed a UCC law, granting women equal rights in marriage, divorce, alimony and inheritance of property, banning certain types of relationships, banning polygamy, registration of marriages It was made mandatory and mandatory registration or self-declaration was done to survive. -In relationships. The law has not yet been implemented.
decades old demand ucc – which is a part of the non-equitable Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution – is linked to India’s complex system of personal laws, rules and customs, especially for religious minorities. The UCC would, in theory, impose uniform rules for marriage, divorce, inheritance, financial compensation and adoption for all communities, but many activists and experts fear that it would eliminate the customs and traditions of particular communities. Can, and can become a proxy. Target their beliefs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly made a strong case for the UCC and the BJP has promised to bring a common law if it wins elections in Jharkhand earlier this year.
Shah said that BJP amended the Constitution 22 times in 16 years and Congress 77 times in 55 years. He said the intention behind the amendments reflected whether the party had confidence in the document or not.
“The constitutional amendments made by our government were aimed at strengthening democracy and ensuring equal rights for the underprivileged, the opposition’s amendments were only to retain political power,” he said.
“The first amendment was made on June 18, 1951… After the framing of the Constitution, the Congress did not have enough patience to wait for the Lok Sabha elections before going to power… Article 19A was added to curtail the freedom Of the speech… Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister at that time,” he said.
He said, the second amendment was the 24th amendment made by the then PM Indira Gandhi on November 5, 1971, which sought to curtail the fundamental rights of the citizens. He said, “The 39th Amendment on August 10, 1975, which exempted the election of the PM and the President from judicial scrutiny, was invoked to protect the political leadership during the Emergency when Indira Gandhi’s election was declared invalid. “
After this, he termed the 42nd amendment brought to extend the tenure of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha by six years as a step taken out of fear of defeat in the elections.
He tried to draw a comparison with the changes initiated by the BJP. Shah said the 101st amendment in 2018 brought the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which revolutionized India’s tax structure by establishing an integrated taxation system. “In 2018, the 102nd Amendment gave constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Modi did this because Congress did not believe in the welfare of backward classes… In 2019, the 103rd amendment was introduced, giving 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)… For years, Congress Talked about poor welfare. welfare of the poor) but the will was not there for it,” he said.
The minister mentioned two more amendments – the 105th amendment in 2021 that gave state governments the power to identify socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) and the 106th amendment in December 2023, which created 33% reservation for women in assemblies and the Lok Sabha. Reservation approved. According to the Women’s Reservation Bill.
He mocked the Congress for blaming electronic voting machines for the election defeat. “These days they blame EVMs. When they lost in Maharashtra, the EVMs were malfunctioning, but when they won in Jharkhand, they wore new clothes and rushed to take oath,” he said.
Shah accused Congress of insulting BR Ambedkar and said that Congress wanted to increase the quota limit by more than 50% to accommodate Muslims. He said, “Even if BJP has only one MP, we will not allow reservation on the basis of religion.” Congress MPs protested, saying that the party never recommended reservation on the basis of religion.
Shah accused successive Congress prime ministers from Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi of not being in favor of caste-based reservation and said it was the BJP that gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission and allowed reservation for them in NEET and JEE.
Amid protests from the opposition, he said, “These days some leaders see reservation as a formula to win elections…but the Kaka Kalelkar report was put on the back burner.” He was referring to the first OBC Commission report which was never implemented.
When Congress leader Jairam Ramesh objected and said that a copy of the report could be seen in the Parliament library, Shah replied, “He did not send it to the Cabinet nor put it before Parliament, he kept it in the Library.” kept.”
Challenging the Congress to clarify its position on Muslim Personal Law, Shah said that its introduction marked the beginning of appeasement politics in the country. “If they want Muslim personal law, why don’t they allow punishment for crimes under Sharia…that’s where they started appeasement,” he said.
Responding to Congress MP Digvijay Singh’s taunt on why UCC has not been implemented yet, Shah said it is because of the policies of the opposition party.
Accusing the Congress of treating the Constitution as a “private family property” (private property of a family), Shah said that when Article 35(A) – which gives the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir the power to decide domicile – was introduced If done, constitutional provisions were violated. Through Presidential Order and not brought before Parliament, and when Article 1 was amended to “cede” Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka.
He also underlined the excesses committed during the Emergency. “I used to listen to Binaka Geet Mala on the radio…when it was stopped, a neighbor told me that Kishore Kumar’s songs could not be played on the radio and all his songs would be sung by Lata Mangeshkar…” Shah Said.
Shah praised Indian democracy and said that it did not allow dictatorship in the country. “In the last 75 years, there have been many nations that became independent and made new beginnings, but democracy could not succeed there. But the roots of our democracy run very deep. We made many changes without shedding even a drop of blood. The people of this country have shattered the ego of many dictators and that too in a democratic manner.”
Urging people not to link patriotism or bravery with ideology, religion or politics, the minister attacked the Congress for not respecting VD Savarkar and said the freedom fighter did not deserve the title of Veer (brave) from any political party. , but rather earned from the people of the country. Country.
“From 1857 to 1947, if there was anyone who was sentenced to life imprisonment twice in the same lifetime, it was Veer Savarkar. If anyone had the courage to jump into the sea for the freedom of the country, it was Veer Savarkar. In the same jail, two brothers served the sentence of Kala Pani for 10 years, but did not even see each other. There is no other such brave family in the entire country.
He also cited Indira Gandhi’s letter praising Savarkar. The comments come days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha that Savarkar did not believe in the Constitution and that his grandmother Indira Gandhi had told him how Savarkar had compromised with the British.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi’s election slogan ‘love shop’, Shah said, ‘I want to tell them that love cannot be sold in any shop… it is an emotion; This is something worth feeling.”
Congress retaliated. Ramesh said, “Amit Shah lied for 90 minutes…It was just an attack on Congress, it was not a speech…Amit Shah insulted the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha.”
