HP Cong leader backs UCC despite pending party decision

Uniform Civil Code Updates: Sticking to its stand that uniform civil code (UCC) is undesirable at this stage, the Congress on Saturday decided to wait for the next move of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government over the issue and noted that it will comment further if a draft bill or a report on UCC comes up.

“When there’s a draft and a discussion we will participate and examine what is proposed. As of now, all we have is the law commission public notice for responses. The Congress reiterates the statement as nothing new has happened,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.

Congress’s move came after it publicly denounce the Law Commission’s decision to again examine the UCC on a reference made by the Law Ministry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s subsequent pitch on the issue later. The party alleged the Law Commission’s latest attempt to seek fresh public opinion on UCC represents the Narendra Modi government’s desperation for continuing with its agenda of polarisation and diversion from its failures.

The grand old party’s top leadership held its parliamentary strategy group meeting on Saturday where it was decided UCC will be among the party’s main issues to be raised during the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 20.

The congress is also planning to base its argument against UCC during Monday’s Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on the consultation paper issued by the Law Commission in 2018, in which it said that such a code is “neither necessary nor desirable at this stage”, Deccan Herald reported quoting the source.

The debate over the UCC was initiated after the Law Commission had on June 14 initiated a fresh consultation process over the issue by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.

With inputs from News18