Himachal Minister Goes Against Congress Line, Supports Uniform Civil Code

Shimla:

Appearing to go against the party line, Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Friday extended his “full support” for a Uniform Civil Code while urging against its “politicisation”.

The public works and sports minister in the state’s Congress government questioned why the issue was being brought up just months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Singh is the son of Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh. His late father Virbhadra Singh was a six-time chief minister of the state.

On Facebook, the Congress leader said in Hindi, “I fully support the Uniform Civil Code which is necessary for India’s unity and integrity, but it should not be politicised.” He questioned why the NDA government at the Centre did not implement such a law when it enjoyed a complete majority in Parliament for nine years. “Why is there propaganda on it just a few months before the elections,” he asked.

At a meeting in Bhopal earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a UCC — a common law on marriage, divorce and inheritance for people of all faiths.

But the Congress has opposed the move, claiming that the BJP is trying to divide people.

In neighbouring Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said Friday that the state will soon have a common civil code. Hours earlier, a panel appointed by Uttarakhand’s BJP government announced that it has a draft ready.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)