Congress holds closed-door meeting on UCC implementation

The Indian National Congress (INC) is holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code which has been proposed by the BJP government, party sources told ANI on Saturday.

The meeting is being attended by senior leaders of the Congress party including former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid. Rajya Sabha MPs Vivek Tankha, KTS Tulsi, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and Dr L Hanumanthaiah, as well as Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari, were also present in the meeting, sources from the All India Congress Committee confirmed.

Congress to finally clear stand on UCC?

The Congress has, despite showing objections to the Uniform Civil Code being pushed by BJP, refused to articulate an official stand until the Union Government presents a draft of the proposed legislation.

This has led to a multitude of opinions from the party, with Himachal Pradesh MP Vikramaditya Singh welcoming the legislation, while the Kerala Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan saying that his party ‘vehemently’ opposes UCC.

This has frustrated many of its allies, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan saying, “The [Congress] party’s silence is deceitful. When it is the need of the hour to resist the Sangh Parivar’s attacks on India’s plurality, is the Congress ready to take a firm stand against them?”

The proposed Uniform Civil Code will establish a common set of laws for dealing with civil matters such as marriage, inheritance, and others for all Indian citizens irrespective of religion. It is currently being consulted on by the 22nd Law Commission, which is taking in opinions from all political parties and community representatives.