Bhopal, July 14 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mohan Yadav, on Tuesday targeted the Congress over the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC), asking the Opposition party to clarify its stand a day after the state government’s high-level committee submitted its final report on the issue.

Speaking to reporters at the Assembly premises, Yadav alleged that the Congress viewed issues such as the UCC and the Bhojshala dispute through the prism of “Hindu-Muslim politics” and vote-bank considerations.

“The committee has submitted the UCC report to me. Now the Congress should also make its stand clear on this issue. Whether it is the UCC or the Bhojshala issue, the Congress looks at every matter only from the perspective of Hindu-Muslim politics and vote-bank politics,” the Chief Minister claimed.

He said the consultation process undertaken by the committee reflected broad public participation, with people from different religions putting forward their views on the proposed law.

“It is a positive development that people from all religions expressed their views openly and clearly on the Uniform Civil Code. However, the Congress has still not made its position clear,” Yadav said.

The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after the high-level committee submitted its final report to him.

The committee was constituted by the Madhya Pradesh government to examine the feasibility of implementing a Uniform Civil Code in the state and recommend a legal framework.

The committee was headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. Its members include Prof Gopal Sharma, Budhpal Singh, Shobha Paithankar and Member Secretary Ajay Katesaria.

According to the state government, the report has been compiled in three volumes. The first volume contains the committee’s recommendations after examining constitutional provisions, international practices, central and state laws and existing customs.

The second volume comprises the draft UCC Bill prepared for Madhya Pradesh. The proposed legislation has four parts, 404 sections and seven schedules.

The third volume contains details of the extensive public consultation conducted by the committee through district-level and state-level interactions, as well as an online portal.

More than 9.58 lakh suggestions were received and analysed on the basis of questions, gender and communities.

One of the panel’s key recommendations is to keep Scheduled Tribes outside the ambit of the proposed Uniform Civil Code, taking into account the constitutional safeguards available to tribal communities and their distinct customary practices.

The submission of the report marks a significant milestone in the BJP government’s move to introduce a Uniform Civil Code in Madhya Pradesh.

The state government is expected to examine the recommendations and the draft legislation before deciding on the next step towards introducing the Bill in the Assembly.

The Uniform Civil Code is envisaged under Article 44 of the Constitution, a Directive Principle of State Policy, which calls upon the State to endeavour to secure a uniform code for all citizens.

It seeks to provide a common legal framework governing civil matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession, replacing religion-based personal laws while preserving constitutional protections available to specified communities.

–IANS

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