NEW DELHI: Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday adopted a cautious position on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC), with Bihar deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary saying the party will first study the legislation and will not oppose it “for no reason” if its provisions are found to be unexceptionable.Chaudhary, who is also a former state Assembly speaker, said the JD(U) would take a decision after consulting its coalition partners in the BJP-led NDA in Bihar. His remarks came amid political debate following Union home minister Amit Shah’s assertion that the UCC would be implemented across NDA-ruled states before 2029.“As of now, we are not aware of the details of the legislation on UCC. Let it be placed before us. If we find there is nothing objectionable, why shall we oppose it without any reason? And if there are points of concern, these will be conveyed to the Union home minister,” Chaudhary said.
JD(U) distances itself from RJD’s opposition
Chaudhary also sought to distance the JD(U) from the RJD’s categorical opposition to implementing the UCC in Bihar.“Please disabuse yourself of the notion that we follow the RJD’s lead. We are a part of the ruling NDA in Bihar, and we will take a decision after consulting all coalition partners,” he said.The RJD, Bihar’s main opposition party, has vowed to oppose implementation of the UCC in the state, alleging that it would be against the interests of Muslims.The JD(U), meanwhile, has faced differing positions within its own ranks on the issue.Senior party leader and Phulwari Sharif MLA Shyam Rajak had on Monday said the party was opposed to implementing the UCC in Bihar, while maintaining that it had supported the UCC Bill in Parliament. Rajak had cited an earlier position attributed to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar.“Our stand on the issue was made clear by our leader way back. He had said that although our party was supporting the UCC Bill in the Parliament, it was not in favour of implementing the same in Bihar,” Rajak had said.He had also said that although the chief minister was from the BJP, the Bihar government was being run with the support of allies and that “the question of implementing UCC in Bihar does not arise”.Chaudhary, however, said there was no reason to rush into a decision.“There is no reason to make haste in the matter,” he said, adding that JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha would discuss the issue with Shah.
Sanjay Jha to hold talks with Amit Shah
Jha had said on Monday that JD(U) leaders would soon meet Shah to discuss the issue of the UCC in states.“We will soon meet home minister Amit Shah to discuss the issue,” Jha told news agency PTI when asked about Shah’s assertion that the UCC would be introduced in NDA-ruled states before 2029.Shah had said at a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday, “Triple talaq has been abolished, giving Muslim women equal rights. We have introduced UCC in several states, and I am confident that in the 21 BJP-NDA-ruled states, we will introduce the UCC before 2029.”
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The JD(U), which has 12 Lok Sabha MPs, is a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA and shares power with the BJP in Bihar.Opposition parties have criticised Shah’s announcement. The CPI(M), DMK and AIMIM have opposed the proposed move, while AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the BJP was seeking to target Muslims. The RJD has also said it would not allow the UCC to be implemented in Bihar.Uttarakhand became the first state in independent India to enact a comprehensive UCC, with the law coming into force in January 2025.Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa have also passed laws to implement the UCC, while Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal have set up drafting committees.
