BJP Using Sensitive State Like Uttarakhand For Tokenism: Congress on UCC Debut

Uttarakhand: As Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tabled the Uniform Civil Code draft bill on the floor of Uttarakhand assembly on Tuesday, February 6, opposition Congress party has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of being in a hurry. 

As CM Dhami presented the bill, it was welcomed by the treasury benches with thumping of desks and chants of "Jai Sri Ram" and "Vande Mataram". The bill will now be debated in the assembly before being passed.

However, the Opposition staged a protest before the bill was tabled alleging that they were not given adequate time to read the draft bill, accusing the Dhami government of hurry. Slogans were also raised by the opposition members who were pacified after Speaker Ritu Khanduri assured them that they would get enough time to study the bill.

In a big charge against the Dhami government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat said that rules are not being followed, adding that the central government was using a sensitive state like Uttarakhand for “tokenism”. Rawat questioned why the central government did not come up with Uniform Civil Code (UCC). 

"The state government and the Chief Minister are very eager to get it passed and the rules are not being followed. No one has the draft copy and they want an immediate discussion on it. The Central Government is using a sensitive state like Uttarakhand for tokenism, if they want to bring UCC, it should have been brought by the central government,” said Rawat. 

Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya said that the Congress party was not against the Uniform Civil Code, alleging that the BJP government was trying to suppress the voice of Opposition MPs. 

"We are not against it (Uniform Civil Code). The House is governed by the rules of conduct of business but BJP is continuously ignoring it and wants to suppress the voice of the MLAs based on the strength of numbers. It is the right of the MLAs to express their views in the House, during Question Hour, whether they have a proposal under Rule 58 or under other rules, they have the right to raise their voices on various issues of the state in the Assembly,” said Arya. 

Once it becomes an act, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country after Independence to adopt the UCC. It has been operational in Goa since the days of Portuguese rule.