Guwahati, May 13 (IANS). Assam Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue of Uniform Civil Code (UCC). He alleged that the ruling party was using the constitutional provision for political polarization instead of promoting equality and justice.
Speaking to reporters, Gogoi questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment to equal rights and equal treatment for citizens, claiming that the party does not actually believe in “uniformity” in governance or social justice.
The Congress leader said, “Does the Bharatiya Janata Party believe in equality? Does the Bharatiya Janata Party respect all citizens of India? Does the Bharatiya Janata Party provide equal rights and equal protection to the citizens? The truth is that the Bharatiya Janata Party does not believe in equal rights, equal respect or equality.”
Citing the constitutional mention of the Uniform Civil Code under the Directive Principles of State Policy, Gogoi said the Bharatiya Janata Party was attempting to misuse a constitutional concept for divisive political purposes.
He said, “Although Uniform Civil Code is mentioned in the Directive Principles of the Constitution, yet the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to misuse this constitutional idea to promote its politics of division and polarization in the society.”
“The Bharatiya Janata Party talks about uniform civil code in different states from the perspective of creating social division and political polarization. Instead of creating harmony and equal opportunities, the party is using the issue to divide communities,” Gogoi said.
His comments came amid renewed discussions on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, including Assam, where the state government recently indicated that it has started preliminary work on the matter.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has consistently maintained that the objective of the Uniform Civil Code is to ensure equal law for all citizens regardless of religion and is in line with the constitutional concept of equality and justice.
However, opposition parties have accused the ruling party of using the issue for electoral gains and targeting minority communities.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced that the upcoming session of the Assam Assembly will begin from May 21 and the state government will introduce the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the House on May 25.
Speaking to reporters after the first cabinet meeting of his second government held at Koinadhara in Guwahati, Sarma said tribal communities in the state will remain out of the purview of the proposed Uniform Civil Code Bill.
–IANS
OP/DKP