Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing booth-level workers of BJP in Bhopal on June 28, 2023, made a strong pitch for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) – a proposed law that deeply worries minorities, particularly Muslims.[1] Besides, the reservations of the minority communities, this statement of the Prime Minister assumes more significance because elections for the 18th Lok Sabha are just a few months away.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi asserted that political parties in India were using minorities only for the sake of their vote bank, and for this, they have been criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party as it advocates UCC. Before this statement, the 22nd Law Commission of India[2], headed by former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi had also invited views of religious organizations and the public on UCC on June 14, 2023.[3] Following the deadline i.e. July 28, 2023, the Law Commission received around 7.5 million responses.[4] Interestingly, the same matter was also referred to the 21st Law Commission, which was headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B.S. Chauhan. The Commission had already termed UCC as “neither necessary nor desirable,” in 2018.[5]
