Amit Shah called Uttarakhand’s UCC a model law, said- it will be implemented in all BJP ruled states

New Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) implemented by Uttarakhand is an ideal law, which will be widely debated. He also said that after this the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments will implement the Uniform Civil Code in all the states. He accused the Congress of insulting the Constitution and promoting the politics of appeasement.

During the ongoing debate on the 75th year of the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah compared the constitutional amendments made by the Congress and the BJP, claiming that the Congress made changes to the Constitution for the sake of personal gain and power, while the BJP made amendments to strengthen democracy and ensure equal rights. In his 85-minute speech, Shah also alleged that the Congress never respected reservation and tried to break the 50 percent limit.

He said, “We work in a democratic way. A law that is considered to bring major changes in social life was passed by Uttarakhand as a model law. It will be reviewed by legal and religious heads and after that BJP governments will implement the Uniform Civil Code in all states.” He further said that the reason why this law could not be implemented till now is the politics of appeasement of the Congress.

What is Uniform Civil Code?
The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is a law that will abolish the laws prevalent according to different religions and apply uniform rules for matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance of property and maintenance. It is one of the main ideological goals of the BJP and was also included in the party’s manifesto in the 2022 assembly elections.

Uttarakhand had passed a law to implement the Uniform Civil Code in February 2024, providing equal rights to women. Such as in marriage, divorce, maintenance and inheritance of property. This law also includes a ban on polygamy, mandatory registration of marriage and self-declaration or registration for live-in relationships. However, the law has not been implemented yet.

He accused the Congress of not respecting the Indian Constitution and favouring religion-based reservation in the matter of reservation. Shah said the BJP was the party that gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission and ensured reservation for OBC students in NEET and JEE.

Reacting to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh’s objectionable remarks, Shah said the Congress never clarified its stand on the Muslim personal law and it was the beginning of the politics of appeasement. He accused the Congress of treating the Constitution as the “fiefdom of the Nehru-Gandhi family”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly expressed his views in favour of a Uniform Civil Code and the BJP had made the issue a major poll promise in the Jharkhand assembly elections. Amit Shah also accused the Congress of not always following the Constitution and making many mistakes during the Emergency.