Implementing UCC Not Easy Like Revoking Article 370: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Former Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday said that 'Implementation of the Uniform Civil Code will not be easy like revoking Article 370'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest pitch for a Uniform Civil Code for all Indians has sparked widespread debate with the opposition questioning the government's intention to bring the controversial bill in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"There is no question (of implementing it). It is not easy as it was to revoke Article 370. All religions are involved in it. Not only Muslims, but Christians and Sikhs also, tribals, Jains, Parsis, annoying all these people at once, will not be good for any government," the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party said.

"So, I suggest this government not even think about taking this step," he said.

Azad also urged that assmebly elections must be held in Jamu and Kashmir at the earliest, saying that only elected representatives can restore normalcy in the valley.

"When the Assembly was dissolved in 2018, since then we are waiting that when the elections will be held in J&K. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are waiting for the democratic set-up to be restored in the state...meaning that the elected representatives become MLAs and they run the government. Because only elected representatives can do this work in democracy. Across the world or in any part of India the 'officer sarkar' can't run for more than six months," Azad said.

UCC, which intends to have a common code of personal laws across all religions, has been BJP's key poll plank for over two decades.

What is Uniform Civil Code?

A Uniform Civil Code is a constitutional mandate that aims to replace the personal laws of different religious communities with a common set of laws. They cover areas like- Marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption, and succession of the property. It is based on the premise that there is no connection between religion and law in modern civilization.