In tribal-dominated Chhattisgarh, BJP maintains studied silence on UCC

Raipur, July 9   Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal has said that it is necessary for the country to have the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in accordance with the Constitution, but in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the BJP is reluctant to talk openly on the issue.

While the BJP maintained studied silence on the UCC in Chhattisgarh, the Congress claimed that it is for creating a Hindu-Muslim divide.

After the Prime Minister, during his visit to Bhopal last month, advocated for the UCC, there were nationwide reactions of all the political parties; even BJP leaders from several states also reacted to it, but the saffron party leaders in Chhattisgarh are hesitant to speak on the UCC issue.

Referring to the UCC, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T.S. Singh Deo said that everyone should have to be taken along if such a law is to be brought because different classes and societies have their own traditions. He further termed it an attempt to polarise voters in upcoming elections.

According to Deo, this is not the correct time for introducing the UCC as the society has still not reached that mental state in which all the citizens of the country give up their traditional practices and bind themselves with a common law.

“Right now in my opinion the country and the citizens may not be ready for the Uniform Civil Code,” he said.

Similarly, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel referred to tribal traditions and asked what will happen to the tradition of tribals in Chhattisgarh. “In Chhattisgarh, there are orthodox tribals, they have their own rules, if we make a common civil code, then what will happen to the orthodox tradition of our tribals? Besides this, there are many castes in villages and they also have their own traditions... We have to consider everyone's views.”

The Congress in the state is openly opposing the UCC. On the other hand, the BJP is asking how Congress leaders can express their opinions when the UCC draft is yet to come.

BJP's state media in-charge Amit Chimnani has said that the Congress has a “history of doing politics of spreading confusion and lies”.

Chimanani claimed that in the absence of any real issue, Congress made up imaginary ones. “The Congress has had to suffer every time because of this. That's why they are out of power, what happened in the Rafale case is in front of everyone.”

Political analysts believe that the tribal class in the state is in large numbers and they have their own traditions. It will not be easy to bring them under the ambit of a common law, and if this happens, BJP may be at a disadvantage in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, so the saffron party is reluctant to speak much on the issue.

They further say that as the number of Muslim voters in the state is not that large, the possibility of polarisation because of the UCC is also very less in Chhattisgarh.

--IANS