New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) Amidst all likelihood of the newly elected Suvendu Adhikari government tabling the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in West Bengal Assembly next week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday welcomed the move, calling it a death knell for the "politics of appeasement" in the state.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla, speaking to the reporters ahead of proposed UCC implementation in the eastern state, ruled for decades by the Left parties and Trinamool, said that West Bengal will join the list of BJP-ruled states in bringing parity in citizens' rights -- party's key and strategic electoral promise.
The BJP Spokesperson, speaking to IANS, said, "We have already implemented it (UCC) in Assam and Uttarakhand. Following Gujarat, initiatives have now been taken in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal as well, because the politics of appeasement has completely ended in West Bengal."
Notably, West Bengal is set to become the fourth state to introduce a Bill on the UCC.
Other BJP ruled states which have already set the legislation in motion include Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam. Uttarakhand passed the UCC law in February 2024 and became the first state in Independent India to have a UCC. The two states took steps towards its implementation, earlier this year, by introducing the UCC bill in the respective state Assembly.
With Suvendu Adhikari-led Bengal government gearing up to set up committee for the UCC roll-out, this will also mark fulfillment of the party's poll promises made during election campaign. The BJP had promised to implement the UCC within six months of coming to power in West Bengal.
Poonawalla also lashed at the Opposition for attempts to thwart it.
He said that while the BJP government is working to introduce the UCC, an 'Inflammatory bhaijaan committee' has also emerged in opposition to it and this group prioritises vote-bank politics over women's rights.
Slamming their resistance to every progressive step, Poonawalla noted, "whether it is Shah Bano case, Shayara Bano case, or the UCC, they oppose these measures. These are the very same people (Congress) who included this in the Constitution and introduced the UCC in Goa. Yet, now when women's reservation is introduced, they oppose it."
When enacted, the UCC will replace religion-based personal laws with a common set of guidelines, governing issues related to marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance for all citizens, irrespective of their faith.
--IANS
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