Uniform Civil Code in Bihar? Read Upendra Kushwaha’s Big Statement

Uniform Civil Code in Bihar: Earlier Union Minister and firebrand BJP leader Giriraj Singh had said the Uniform Civil Code is the “need of the hour” and it should be discussed both in Parliament and in society.

New Delhi: At a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states are batting to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), JD(U) parliamentary board president Upendra Kushwaha has clearly stated that Bihar won’t bring the contentious legislation in the state. Earlier also, the JD(U) sources had stated that contentious issues raised by the BJP such as the uniform civil code or CAA would not get the party’s support. “Our party is in alliance with the BJP but it does not mean we support it for its bulldozer politics and polarisation,” a senior JD-U leader had said when asked if the state will implement UCC state.

For the unversed, the BJP and Janata Dal (United), are running the coalition government in Bihar. With more MLAs the BJP is the larger of the two parties in the state Assembly but had to give the post of the chief minister to the JDU’s Nitish Kumar as he was the face of the NDA in the 2020 Vidhan Sabha chunav.

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 personal laws of various communities is governed by their religious scriptures. For example, the Muslim community follows the laws of Sharia. Implementation of a uniform civil code across the nation is one of the contentious promises of the BJP.

For the unversed, the uniform civil code was in the manifesto of the BJP in the 2019 parliamentary election. Earlier this month reports had claimed that Home Minister Shah might bring it out in the public domain in Bihar.

At present, Goa is the only state to have Uniform Civil Code.  Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh too have expressed their willingness to implement the UCC.  Terming the Uniform Civil Code a ‘good step’, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said the state government is examining the concept and is open to implementing it.