It’s time to took up the issue of Uniform Civil Code issue and to initiate the debate on UCC at the national level. Now that Supreme Court castigated successive governments for not looking at the Article 44 of Indian Constitution the BJP government is empowered to take up the UCC. It is nether intention of the constitution makers nor the contention of the present powers to impose the laws governing Hindus on people of other faiths.
The best way is to appoint a committee of experts to go into the issue of UCC and draft a common civil code taking best from each religious laws and put it for debate. It should have done in 50s itself when country became republic. The constituent assembly erred in declaring secularism as its policy and allowing the religious laws to exist. One wonders why Jawaharlal Nehru the champion of secularism in India allowed the codification of Hindu Laws. The fault lies with the constitution. Indian secularism is a sham in the absence of secular laws. To make all Indians as one entity the UCC is a necessity. As and when Modi government attempts for UCC it is necessary for all intellectuals to support that move. UCC is not a religious issue as perceived by some secularists but it is making India a truly secular nation in principle and practice. The pseudo secular tag of India will go only when UCC is made a reality.
– Duggaraju Srinivasa Rao, Vijayawada
