The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh has seemingly backtracked on the issue of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Speaking to the media in Shimla on Thursday (July 6, 2023), Vikramaditya, the youngest minister in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu cabinet, labelled UCC as a “diversionary tactic” employed by the BJP ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The son of six-term former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Mandi MP-cum Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh, Vikramaditya questioned the Union Government’s lack of tangible progress in implementing the UCC and asked why the BJP did not prioritise this matter during its nine-year rule.
The minister had recently hit the national headlines when he took a stand contrary to his party’s on the UCC. He had said that the BJP must go ahead with its plans on the UCC. “The Congress believes in unity and integrity of the nation and as and when the UCC is brought, it will fully support it,” he had said. In the same breath, he, however, said whenever elections were round the corner, the BJP and the Union Government tried to divert attention of people from burning issues by raising some contentious issues.
“However, what is most unfortunate is that the PM and the Centre are silent on the ever-worsening situation in Manipur, which is nothing short of a civil war,” he said. No concrete action had been taken by the Centre to defuse the situation in Manipur, he claimed.
Vikramaditya’s statement came even as the Congress is yet to take a call on its stand on the UCC. The Uniform Civil Code has been a contentious topic in Indian politics, aiming to replace personal laws based on religious customs and traditions with a common set of laws applicable to all citizens. While some argue that the UCC would ensure equality and secularism, others contend that it may encroach upon personal and religious freedoms.
“Vikramaditya’s latest comments imply a shift in his stance on the issue, potentially aligning himself with those who oppose the UCC. By dismissing it as a mere diversionary tactic, he suggests that the BJP is using the issue to distract voters from more pressing matters,” said an analyst.
