Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering from the ramparts of Red Fort on the 78th Independence Day, in New Delhi on August 15, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
Allies of the NDA, the Janata Dal (U) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have struck a cautious note after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of his government’s push for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), albeit reframed as a “secular civil code”.
Speaking to The Hindu, JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha said that “unless there is a concrete proposal we cannot possibly comment on the issue”. Earlier, JD(U) spokesperson K.C. Tyagi had said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s submission before the Law Commission exploring the issue was the party’s stand on the UCC.
The TDP too kept its counsel, with a senior party leader saying that the party was determined to protect the interests of the Muslim community, and that the UCC had not been brought up discussion within the alliance as yet. “We are awaiting clarity on the issue,” said the leader, waiting for a cue from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Both the JD(U) and the TDP draw support from the Muslim community and other minorities and have not supported the idea in the past. As late as July this year in fact, Mr. Naidu had met with members of the Muslim community in Vijayawada and had declared that there was no question of his party backing any bill that does not keep the sentiments of Muslims in mind.
Also Read: The future of a Uniform Civil Code
Prime Minister Modi’s call for the implementation of a UCC albeit framed as one that harks to Constitutional values enunciated in the Directive Principles of State Policy, has come after his government, with a nudge from allies referred the Waqf Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament.
With the announcement that he was keen on the implementation of a UCC, Prime Minister Modi has signalled that, he was determined not allow what happened with the Waqf Amendment Bill to stop any efforts at fulfilling the ideological imperatives of the BJP.
