As the Uniform Civil Code Uttarakhand 2024 Bill (UCC) was tabled in the state legislative assembly on Tuesday, the opposition parties slammed the government citing that ‘rules of conduct of business’ were completely ignored. Meanwhile, former CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat said ‘Centre using Uttarakhand for tokenism.’
How opposition parties are reacting to Uttarakhand tabling UCC bill
Uttarakhand Assembly Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya said that ruling party wanted to suppress the voice of the MLAs based on the strength of numbers.
Arya told news agency ANI, “We are not against it (Uniform Civil Code). The House is governed by the rules of conduct of business but BJP is continuously ignoring it and wants to suppress the voice of the MLAs based on the strength of numbers.”
“It is the right of the MLAs to express their views in the House, during Question Hour, whether they have a proposal under Rule 58 or other rules, they have the right to raise their voices on various issues of the state in the Assembly,” Yashpal Arya added.
Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat the opposition was not handed a draft copy of the UCC and not state government wants an immediate discussion on it.
“The state government and the Chief Minister are very eager to get it passed and the rules are not being followed… No one has the draft copy and they want an immediate discussion on it… The Central Government is using a sensitive state like Uttarakhand for tokenism if they want to bring UCC, it should have been brought by the central government,” Rawat said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami called the event to be ‘a moment of pride’
CM Dhami posted on X, “With the aim of giving equal rights to the citizens of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, a Uniform Civil Code bill will be introduced in the Assembly today. It is a moment of pride for all the people of the state that we will be known as the first state in the country to move towards implementing UCC”.
The Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved the final draft of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), proposing consistent laws for marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance across all communities in the state. This move fulfills a key promise by the BJP in the 2022 Assembly polls. In March 2022, the Dhami government initiated a committee to draft the UCC, aiming to establish a comprehensive legal framework for citizens, regardless of their religion.
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Published: 06 Feb 2024, 12:58 PM IST
