NEW DELHI, Jun 28: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday extended its “in-principle support” to a Uniform Civil Code but said it should be brought in with a consensus after extensive consultations with stakeholders. The government should hold extensive consultations on the proposal with all stakeholders, including political parties and non-political entities, AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said.
“The AAP supports UCC in principle. Article 44 (of the Constitution) also supports it,” Pathak told PTI. But the government should bring in UCC only when there is a consensus among the stakeholders, he said.
“We believe that on such issues we should go ahead with consensus. We believe that this (UCC) should be implemented only after there is a consensus among all the stakeholders,” Pathak said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Tuesday made a strong push for a Uniform Civil Code, asking how can the country function with dual laws that govern personal matters. Several opposition parties, however, attacked the prime minister for his comments on the UCC with the Congress saying he was making such remarks only to divert attention from real issues such as unemployment and the Manipur violence. AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi asked whether the country’s pluralism would be “snatched away” in the name of UCC. The AAP is the only major opposition party to extend in-principle support to UCC. The Law Commission has already started public consultation on the UCC with the panel inviting views from all stakeholders, including people and recognised religious organisations, on the issue on June 14.
Chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi on Wednesday said the panel has received 8.5 lakh responses within just two weeks of initiating the public consultation process. “The responses we have received till yesterday are approximately 8.5 lakh,” Awasthi told PTI. A uniform civil code (UCC) typically means having a common law for all citizens of the country that is not based on religion. Personal laws and laws related to inheritance, adoption and succession are likely to be covered by a common code.
The implementation of a UCC has been part of BJP election manifestos. Uttarakhand is already in the process of framing its common code. The BJP had promised a uniform civil code in Karnataka ahead of the recent assembly elections. (PTI)
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