SHILLONG, 6 Jul: Meghalaya BJP vice president Bernard M Marak on Thursday claimed that tribal communities in the scheduled areas of the state and the Northeast need not worry about the uniform civil code (UCC) as these areas are protected under the special provisions of the Constitution.
He claimed that the BJP wants to uplift the NE region, long neglected by successive governments.
“The UCC is primarily meant for the general areas and will not be implemented in the scheduled areas protected under special provisions of the Constitution and will not be affected,” Marak said.
“Our (BJP’s) intention is not to intrude into tribal areas or to dilute the beautiful culture, tradition and practices of tribals. The BJP wants to restore what has been lost and taken away from tribals in the past by political parties which ruled these states,” he said.
The UCC is a common set of laws on marriage, divorce and inheritance that would be applicable to all Indian citizens, irrespective of religion, tribe, or other local customs.
The Law Commission had on 14 June initiated a fresh consultation process on the UCC by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had said that “the UCC in its present form is going against the actual idea of India itself.”
“Something which does not go with the entire idea of India being a diverse nation, and diversity being our strength and our identity and hence, a UCC will go against that idea is what the NPP feels,” he had said.
Several social organisations in Meghalaya have also registered strong opposition to the UCC.
Donald V Thabah, general secretary of the influential Khasi Students’ Union, said that the Centre should take into account the customary laws and practices of the various tribal communities of the Northeast and avoid enforcing the UCC.
Hynniewtrep Youth Council president Robert Kharjahrin said that the organisation has written to the Law Commission of India against the implementation of the UCC in the state.
“A UCC will dilute and replace the prevailing custom and usages, and provisions under the 6th schedule of the Constitution and will violate the federal structures of India, besides interfering with religious affairs and ethos of the general tribal population,” he said. (PTI)