'BJP formed UCC panel to hide its failures': Asaduddin Owaisi lashes out at Gujarat govt

Reacting to the Gujarat government's move to form a panel on the Uniform Civil Code, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday contended that BJP was trying to hide its failures. On Monday, the Bhupendra Patel-led government decided to constitute a high-level committee headed by a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge to examine the need for a UCC in the state and prepare a draft for the same. Speaking to the media, Owaisi indicated that the UCC won't help address the purported discrimination in the state. 

Asaduddin Owaisi remarked, "BJP has formed the Uniform Civil Code committee before the elections to hide its failures and wrong decisions. Why do only Hindus get a Hindu undivided tax rebate? Give it to Muslims too. This is against the right to equality. There is Disturbed Areas Act in Gujarat. The DM does not give permission to a Muslim to buy a house belonging to a person of another religion. You don't get permission if someone wants to change their religion. Is this Uniform Civil Code?"

"Isn't Article 39 there in the Directive Principle of State Policy which states that the wealth of the country should be distributed equally among everyone? Today, the country's 60% wealth is in the hands of how many persons? So, they are bringing the Uniform Civil Code to hide their failures," he added. 

Demand for UCC

While the UCC finds a mention in Article 44 of the Constitution which reads, "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India", it is not binding being a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution. On July 7, 2021, a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court Justice Pratibha Singh backed the need for a UCC and asked the Ministry of Law and Justice to take the necessary action as deemed appropriate. She was hearing a plea to determine the applicability of the Hindu Marriage Act, of 1955, to the Meena community.

Maintaining that this case highlights the necessity of a UCC, she expressed surprise at the fact that the Centre has failed to take any steps in this regard despite a 1985 Supreme Court verdict in this regard. Meanwhile, the Allahabad HC on November 18, 2021, held that a UCC is mandatory. The single-judge bench of Justice Suneet Kumar was hearing a batch of 17 petitions pertaining to protection sought by interfaith couples. In May, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state to set up a high-level committee to draft a UCC for the state.