UCC an ideological issue, will also come in U.P. at appropriate time, says Deputy CM Maurya

Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM hints at the introduction of the Uniform Civil Code in the state, while opposition parties express concerns.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesday described the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) as an ideological issue for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and hinted at the introduction of the UCC at an appropriate time in India’s most populous State.

“Uniform Civil Code is one of the ideological issue of the BJP, it will also come in U.P. at the appropriate time, the BJP government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi abolished Article 370, construction work of grand temple at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi is completed, UCC has come in Uttarakhand,” Mr. Maurya wrote, on X (formerly Twitter). 

The statement holds significance amid the introduction of the UCC bill in the Uttarakhand legislative Assembly by the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday amid chants of ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. Uttarakhand is getting closer to becoming the first Indian State to implement the UCC as part of law. 

On the other hand, Samajwadi Party (SP) Lok Sabha member S.T. Hasan said that if it (UCC) is against the instructions mentioned in the Quran, then we won’t abide by it. “We won’t abide by it [UCC Bill] if it is against the hidayat [instructions] given to Muslims in Quran. We don’t have any issue if it is as per hidayat,” Mr. Hasan, a Lok Sabha member from Moradabad, said. 

The endeavour for the securement of a UCC has been mentioned in Article 44 of the Directive principles of the Indian Constitution. 

Kunwar Danish Ali, a Lok Sabha member from U.P.’s Amroha, who is suspended from the Bahujan Samaj Party also reacted sharply over the UCC Bill of Uttarakhand calling it a BJP agenda aimed at the 2024 Lok Sabha election. “The UCC Bill in Uttarakhand is nothing but the BJP’s agenda for the 2024 election. States have no right to bring UCC, it comes under the power of Union. Since they [BJP] are failing [on every front], they brought in UCC; nothing is going to happen,” Mr. Ali said.