CM Pushkar Singh Dhami asserts Uttarakhand 'moving forward to implement UCC'

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday, June 13, reaffirmed his commitment to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state, saying that there should be "one law for every religion". 

"Before the election, our party took one oath and we are working on it. We are moving forward to implement UCC," CM Dhami stated. 

"When the election started the one who didn't work for the state thought that this topic will end when polls were complete. But, in the first meeting with full vote we decided to implement the law in Uttarakhand", he added, stressing, "There should be one law for every religion". 

The Uttarakhand CM informed that a committee has been formed and they will speak to the stakeholders.  Further, a draft will be prepared to implement the same. Dhami expressed his confidence about other states following suit in implementing the law. 

In a related update, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Minority Welfare and Wakf Affairs Danish Ansari said that the BJP government in the state will take steps towards implementing the UCC by holding discussions under quami chaupal.

Similarly, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has said that the issue of implementation of UCC is being examined in the state.

About UCC

The Uniform Civil Code is a proposal in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Currently, the religious scriptures govern the personal laws of various communities.

The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India. It is to be noted, that the BJP, in its 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, promised the implementation of UCC if it came to power.

Dhami secures CM seat

On June 3, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami registered a massive victory in the Champawat bypoll as he secured his post as the chief minister of the state. The byelection victory helped him regain his political authority that was damaged after losing the Khatima seat in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Dhami lost elections against Congress candidate Bhuwan Chandra Kapri from the Khatima Assembly seat, as he succeeded to get a total of 41,598 votes with a vote share of 44.8%. The Congress candidate who got 48,177 with a huge vote share of 51.89%, won the seat by a margin of over 6,500 votes.

(Image: PTI)