The recommended Universal Civil Code for Uttarakhand that has been approved by the state cabinet has been drafted by excluding the Scheduled Tribes at the very start. How does it then qualify as ‘Universal’? This is the exact reason why the code recommended by none other than the Constitution has not come about in India. It requires India’s enormously diverse society to evolve to a level where differences in the personal and religious practices can be sublimated to mere symbolism. This would become possible after enough inter-caste, inter-religious and inter-regional communities come into being and, naturally, adopt an ‘Indian’ way of life. This is already happening but will take some time to reach the required level.
If the Dhami Government wished to demonstrate its ‘nationalistic’ credentials to impress the people, it should have had the courage and commitment to include the Scheduled Tribes. What the present bill represents is its commitment, instead, to be trailblazers in targeting Muslims for the sake of political polarisation.
The BJP’s candidates were always expected to be solid favourites for the Lok Sabha seats in the state, going by public opinion. The overkill that the UCC bill represents could actually result in a loss of one or two seats. This is because, the Scheduled Tribes that have been provided a reprieve this time, will not want to face a similar challenge in the future and may choose to go with an opposition candidate. If this sentiment spreads to other parts of the country, similar vested interests may turn against the BJP elsewhere. It must be remembered that, much too often, vested interests are of the few, not those of the larger community they control in the name of tradition.
The Muslim community is also to blame because it has painted itself into a corner by not being open to voting BJP. It would greatly benefit if it debunked the stereotype of hostility towards the BJP, as it would then not be taken for granted by the ‘secular’ parties, and also would be treated with similar ‘consideration’ as the Scheduled Tribes have been by the Dhami Government.
If not looked at as the ‘ideal’ Uniform Civil Code, the proposed legislation only brings in necessary reforms to provide justice to all. Basic human rights cannot be denied to anybody in the name of religion, tradition, culture, etc. That is how the Uttarakhand initiative should be promoted and interpreted, not as an extension of ‘Hindutva’ politics.
