BJP has neither been secular nor civil: Kapil Sibal on PM's remarks on UCC

Kapil Sibal criticizes BJP for lack of secularism, calls for a secular civil code in India

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a "secular civil code", Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday (August 16, 2024) alleged that the BJP has neither been secular nor civil in the last 10 years.

In a post on X, Mr. Sibal asserted that a "secular and civil country is the need of the hour".

In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Mr. Modi had said a "secular civil code" is the need of the hour for the country. He also described the existing set of laws as a "communal civil code" and termed them discriminatory.

Referring to Modi's remarks, Mr. Sibal posted on X, "PM: 'Need of the hour...a Secular Civil Code in this country... spent 75 years under the Communal Civil Code'." "My take: Need of the hour: A secular and civil country. In the last 10 years, the BJP has neither been 'secular' nor 'civil'," the former Union minister said.

Mr. Modi, in his Independence Day address on Thursday (August 15, 2024), said, "A large section of the country believes, which is true also, that the civil code is actually in a way is a communal civil code. It discriminates (among people)." The prime minister said laws which divide the country on communal lines and become a reason for inequality have no place in a modern society.

"I would say, it is the need of the hour that India has a secular civil code. We have lived 75 years with a communal civil code. Now, we have to move towards a secular civil code. Only then would religion-based discrimination end," he said.