Karnataka hijab row: Union Minister Giriraj Singh pushes for Uniform Civil Code, 'need of the hour'
In Parliament, the BJP government has pushed for a Uniform Civil Code. It was even mentioned in the saffron party's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
FollowAmid the raging controversy over the hijab ban in Karnataka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday said that the Uniform Civil Code is the need of the hour. He added that the country requires a law that applies to all communities.
Singh said that the uniform civil court is the need of the hour. "The country is one, so there should be one law for all," the minister said.
The uniform civil code is a standard set of laws governing personal matters, including marriage, divorce, succession and adoption, aiming to ensure equality instead of letting different personal laws for people of different faiths.
In Parliament, the BJP government has been pushing for the law. The Uniform Civil Code was even mentioned in the BJP's manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. As per the party, Article 14 of the Constitution provides equality before the law. It reads the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, a BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, stated that this is being done to disrupt peace and harmony. He said this is just the latest in a series going on for a few years. They don't want India to become a world leader. He claimed this is being done in order to gain votes.
Assam CM and BJP party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma lashed out at Congress and accused the party of dividing the country. He blamed Congress for attempting to divide the country. Sarma accused the party of representing the 'tukde tukde' gang. He added Congress aims to repeat the situation as it was before 1947.
The Hijab controversy began in December when a few students wore hijab to a government pre-university college in Udupi. To oppose the action, some Hindu students showed up wearing saffron scarves. The row spread to other educational institutions across the state, and the protests turned violent in some places earlier this week. The state government declared a three-day holiday for the institutions to prevent violence.
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