BJP likely to use template of 'almost final' UCC draft by Uttarakhand

Retired Justice Ranjana Prasad Desai-headed panel, formed in May 2022, is likely to submit its draft of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for Uttarakhand in the next few days. ‘Almost final’, the draft report will be the template for similar efforts that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-run Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh governments have initiated.

The Centre will also keenly track the contents of the draft and the reaction to it, as that could determine how a Bill on UCC, whenever the government decides to bring it, might fare in Parliament.

The government is comfortably placed in the Lok Sabha. The BJP’s current strength of 301, along with another 30-odd of its allies, is sufficient to ensure the passage of any Bill. But in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP, with 93 members, along with a dozen and a half of its allies and nominated members, is short of the majority mark. Several ‘neutral’ parties, who have supported the government on crucial Bills in the past, might struggle with a Bill on UCC, given its contentious nature, as it could potentially affect the personal laws of minorities and Scheduled Tribes (STs). 

While the YSR Congress Party, which has nine Members of Parliament (MPs), is opposed to the UCC, the Biju Janata Dal, also with nine MPs, has expressed support. This is where the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) support could be crucial as it has 10 MPs. But former allies, such as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), keen to return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance fold, oppose the UCC.

On Thursday, SAD asked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to clarify his stand. The AAP, which runs the Punjab government, extended its ‘in-principle’ support to UCC on Wednesday. 

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee also opposed the UCC. Not just the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, other minorities, such as Christians and Jains, have concerns about UCC, as do tribal communities.