Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, stated on Sunday that her group was not opposed to enacting the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which she thought would “lead to communal harmony,” but she criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for “politicising” the matter.
“Our party (the BSP) is not opposed to the adoption of the Uniform Civil Code, but we oppose the manner in which the BJP is attempting to do it. Mayawati stated at a press conference that it was improper to make this a political issue and impose UCC on the nation.
“People of different religious beliefs live in the country, but the UCC will not weaken the nation; on the contrary, it will enhance the nation and foster intercommunal harmony. They have unique cultures and practises, which shouldn’t be disregarded, stressed Mayawati. She emphasised that there should be universal agreement on the UCC and that it should not be imposed forcibly.
In addition, Mayawati claimed the BJP was bringing up the subject to draw attention away from the public’s difficulties and disputed topics. Politics should not be involved with the UCC.The state must work to ensure that citizens have access to a Uniform Civil Code across the nation, according to Article 44 of the Constitution, she continued.
Days prior to Mayawati’s statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated for the UCC at a programme in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The UCC is an idea for creating and enforcing personal rules for citizens that will apply to every Indian regardless of caste, religion, or sexual orientation.
The opposition, according to Modi, is using the UCC issue to excite the Muslim community, and he criticised the appeasement policy for the “backwardness” of various social groups during a rally on Tuesday.
Sunil Singh Sajan, a spokesman for the Samajwadi Party, responded to Mayawati’s comments shortly after her news conference by saying, “What Mayawati has said is the same thing that SP head (Akhilesh Yadav) has been saying time and time again that the BJP is trying to establish its agenda. The BJP’s aim of hatred and division is always opposed by SP.
Last month, the Law Commission of India requested new recommendations on the divisive topic from civic and religious organisations, which rekindled the controversy surrounding it.
Conrad Sangma, the chief minister of Meghalaya and a supporter of the BJP, and Pinarayi Vijayan, the chief minister of Kerala, have both voiced their opposition to the proposal. While Vijayan claimed the BJP was using the UCC “to press their majoritarian agenda of deepening the communal divide,” Sangma claimed the UCC went against the “idea of India.”
