The Congress and its ally, the DMK, have criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a uniform civil code in India. The DMK, the ruling party of Tamil Nadu, has argued that the code should be applied first to Hindus, who would then have to allow people from all castes to pray in temples. TKS Elangovan of the DMK stated that every person, including Scheduled Castes and Tribes, should be permitted to perform pooja in any temple. The DMK opposes the uniform civil code on the grounds that the Constitution provides protection for every religion.
The Congress general secretary, KC Venugopal, questioned the Prime Minister on issues such as poverty, price rise, unemployment, and the situation in Manipur. PM Modi, however, reiterated the importance of implementing a uniform civil code, arguing that a country cannot function with different rules for different family members.
PM Modi raised the issue of Triple Talaq, questioning why it is not practiced in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, and Syria if it is an integral part of Islam. He cited the example of Egypt, which abolished Triple Talaq several decades ago despite having a predominantly Sunni Muslim population.
The concept of a uniform civil code entails a comprehensive set of laws applicable to all citizens, replacing religion-based personal laws governing matters such as inheritance, adoption, and succession.
The Law Commission recently initiated a fresh consultation process on the Uniform Civil Code to gather views from all stakeholders. Previously, attempts to introduce similar bills in the Rajya Sabha were met with opposition and were not moved forward.
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