New Delhi: With the effects of the Centre’s move to demonetise old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes dying down, Opposition parties are now focusing on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to corner the government in the upcoming Budget Session of Parliament.
The campaign against the UCC is also likely to help the concept of a secular front against the Narendra Modi-led government, especially with Assembly elections coming up in five states, including the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. The first salvo has been fired by JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has written to the law commission twice, including on Wednesday, cautioning against the attempt to impose to a UCC without the concurrence of various religious groups, especially minorities.
Nitish said in the letter that "it was not a political instrumentality to be hurriedly imposed". The letter goes on to say that the imposition of the UCC must be based on a broad consensus in its favour and not be imposed by a fiat.
Sources in the JD(U) said that they have approached other "like-minded" parties, like the Trinamool Congress and the Left.
