UCC: PM brings it up in Independence Day speech, wary allies reiterate ‘consensus’, wait for clarity

Two of those partners, JD(U) and TDP, with large Muslim vote banks in the states ruled by them respectively, have earlier opposed any legislation in this regard without wider consultation.

Asked about Modi’s speech, JD(U) national general secretary K C Tyagi told The Indian Express: “CM Nitish Kumar made a submission to the Law Commission in 2017 on a UCC (Uniform Civil Code). Our stand remains the same. We are not against a UCC, but we want it to come through consensus.”

TDP leaders, however, chose not to comment on the matter Thursday, some saying that the party was “deliberating” over a UCC and would come up with “a clear understanding” and “plan of action”.

“If the BJP plans to implement it, we will think of a way to secure the interests of Muslims,” a senior TDP leader told The Indian Express, adding that a UCC had not come up in any discussion with the BJP since the new government was formed, and indicating that the PM’s mention of it had come as a surprise.

“Once the issue comes for discussion, we will make sure that the voice of the Muslim community is heard,” the leader repeated.

A top TDP source said they may wait for a draft UCC to be tabled. “Once the draft is on the table, we will make sure justice is done to the Muslim community,” the leader said.

The LJP, another key ally of the BJP, was also non-committal on the issue Thursday, deferring a call till there was a “draft”. LJP general secretary A K Vajpayee told The Indian Express: “We are still waiting for the draft (of a UCC). We will be able to comment only when the draft is ready.”

Last year, before his party entered into an alliance with the BJP, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had said that when it “comes to a UCC, the TDP will stand with the Muslim community”. Echoing his words, the party’s national spokesperson, Jyothsna Tirunagari, had said: “We stand with the Muslim community. That has been our stand always.”

The BJP’s second biggest ally in the NDA after the TDP, the JD(U) has earlier said that “a UCC must be seen as a measure of reform… not a political instrumentality”.

In his 2017 letter to the Law Commission, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar had written: “While the State must endeavour to bring in a UCC, such an effort, in order to be enduring and sustainable, must be based on a broad consensus… rather than be imposed by fiat from above.”

Nitish underlined that India was “a nation based on a delicate balance in respect of laws and governing principles for different religions and ethnic groups”. He also said that any attempt to impose a UCC could lead to “social friction and erosion of faith in the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion”.

Nitish also raised objections to the questionnaire sent by the Law Commission to parties to seek their views on a UCC, saying it was framed “to force respondents to respond in a specific manner”.

Speaking to The Indian Express following the TDP’s victory in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha, its leader Nara Lokesh had said: “Issues like delimitation, Uniform Civil Code, etc will be discussed at length and resolved amicably. We will sit together with partners across the table and try to achieve a consensus on all these issues.”