Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami Meets PM Modi Amid Buzz Over UCC

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday amid a raging debate over Uniform Civil Code.

Dhami had earlier met Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of the preparation for 'kanwar yatra' along with other issues while making no direct reference to the UCC.

Last week, Dhami said the state government will act on the draft Uniform Civil Code as soon as it receives the report on the issue from the expert committee examining the subject.

His comments followed a press conference by the state-appointed expert panel chaired by Ranjana Desai, who said the draft report on the UCC for the state was ready and sent for printing.

In its manifesto for the 2022 assembly elections in the state, BJP had promised to bring a UCC.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that the Uttarakhand Civil Code Draft might become the template for the Centre's law.

Last week, PM Modi made a strong appeal for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and for the abolition of triple talaq, in the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

"If there is one law for one member in a house, another law for another, then how will such a house work with such dualities in law? Similarly, how will the country work? We have to remember that in the Constitution as well there is mention of uniform law for all citizens. The Supreme Court has time and again mentioned to implement the Uniform Civil Code, but those hungry for vote-bank oppose it," the Prime Minister said after flagging off five Vande Bharat trains.

However, the Opposition parties have slammed the Prime Minister, saying he should first talk about poverty, price rise, and unemployment in the country.

The UCC aims at having a single law or set of laws in the country applicable to all irrespective of the region they belong to. This means personal laws governing marriage, divorce and succession will be governed by a common set of laws, irrespective of the religion.