Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said his government is considering implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.
Following Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Assam, Karnataka is the fourth Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-run state that has recently gone public with the intention to bring UCC.
Bommai connected the UCC with equality and fraternity mentioned in the Constitution of India and said UCC would ensure equality.
He said, "We have been talking about uniform civil code from the time of Deendayal Upadhyay. There is a serious thought going on in the country at the national and state level. There is also an intention to implement it when the right time comes...we are also discussing how to do it in our state [Karnataka]."
UCC has been among the three major goals of the BJP, with the other two being the Ram Mandir and the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.
Bommai also said state government will take all necessary measures to implement it.
"I would like to say very clearly that we not only expound things we believe in that can make people’s welfare possible and bring equality, but also will take all strong measures to implement it," said Bommai.
What's Uniform Civil Code?
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) means that everyone will have one set of civil laws irrespective of their religion. It is mostly discussed in context of personal laws as different religions currently have different personal laws which govern subjects such as marriages, succession, divorce, etc.
The Article 44 of the Constitution, contained in the part that deals with Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs), calls for the creation of the UCC. It says, "The state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India."
The DPSPs serve as guiding principles for the legislature but are not mandatory to be enforced.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Pushkar Singh Dhami in May set up a committee for the implementation of UCC in the state.
CM Bommai on conversion law
On the anti-conversion law which the BJP government in Karnataka has introduced, Bommai said many people called it anti-constitutional, but now the Supreme Court has passed an order, saying that forced conversion is a crime.
“Whenever we think of introducing reforms to bring equality in the society, most often it is wrongly interpreted,” he said.
Bommai also said his party has a strong belief that devotees should manage the temples. In the coming days, provisions will be made in that direction.
Only the BJP can do value-based politics, he said adding that steps taken to increase reservation for the SC/ST was 'revolutionary'.
(With PTI inputs)
