Wednesday, 07 February 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami created history when he became the first CM in independent India to table a bill on Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State Assembly on Tuesday. The bill was tabled in the morning amid thumping of desks and slogans of Jai Shri Ram by the treasury benches.
The opposition members led by the leader of the opposition (LoP) Yashpal Arya objected to the haste in which the bill is being tabled and said that the government is trying to force its way and pass the bill on the basis of sheer majority it enjoys in the 70-member house. The speaker Ritu Khanduri accepted the plea of the opposition members to give time for reading the draft of the UCC bill and adjourned the house till 2 PM.
Initiating the discussion on the bill, the Parliamentary Affairs minister Prem Chand Agarwal said that UCC and construction of Ram temple were in the agenda of the Jan Sangh, the precursor of BJP. He said that the UCC was in the election manifestos of BJP in the year 1980 and 1984. He said that Congress refrained from taking any decision on the UCC as it believes in the politics of appeasement. The LoP Yashpal Arya said that the Scheduled Tribes have been kept out of the purview of the proposed UCC which means that they will not get equal rights. He demanded that the UCC bill should be sent to the select committee of the Assembly for further discussion and analysis. The LoP also demanded that the draft of the report submitted by the expert committee on the UCC should also be tabled in the house.
Participating in the debate cabinet minister Rekha Arya said that the UCC will empower women of the State. Terming the UCC as a major reform initiated by the Dhami government, Arya said that the women have been given equal rights in property and succession in the bill. Former cabinet minister and MLA from Haridwar Madan Kaushik said that the UCC of Uttarakhand will guide and encourage other States to bring similar laws. The discussion on the provisions of the bill will continue on Wednesday.
