Congress should clarify its stand on UCC: MP CM Yadav

Bhopal, Jul 14 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday said the Opposition Congress, which he accused of viewing every issue through a Hindu-Muslim and vote-bank lens, should clarify its stance on the ongoing exercise to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. A government-appointed multi-member committee, constituted to draft a Uniform Civil Code for Madhya Pradesh and headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, submitted its report to the chief minister on Monday, recommending that Scheduled Tribes (adivasis) be excluded from the purview of the UCC. Speaking to reporters after paying floral tribute to former state chief minister Kailash Joshi in the assembly premises on his birth anniversary on Tuesday, Yadav said the committee has submitted its report on UCC, and now the Congress should also clarify its stand on the issue. "Whether it is the UCC issue or the Bhojshala issue, the Congress views every issue only from the perspective of Hindu-Muslim and vote-bank politics. The positive thing is that citizens of all religions have openly and clearly expressed their views on the UCC, but the Congress party has not yet made its clear stand," he said. The Congress did not participate in the committee's meeting held in Bhopal last month in connection with the UCC, while BJP representatives participated and presented their party's position. An official said the UCC panel's report has been submitted to the state law department, and after necessary amendments to the bill and the completion of review by a committee of senior secretaries, it will be sent to the cabinet for approval. It is then likely to be presented in the monsoon session of the state assembly. The five-day monsoon session of the state assembly begins on July 20. The committee's report has been prepared in three sections. The first 10-chapter section contains the committee's recommendations after analysing various international, national, and state laws and practices. The second section of the report is a draft bill, according to the statement. The draft bill proposed by the panel has been prepared in light of laws and regulations prevalent in Madhya Pradesh. The proposed bill has four parts, 404 sections, and seven schedules. The third section contains a report prepared after extensive public consultation conducted by the panel at district, state, and website levels. The committee received over 9.58 lakh suggestions and a question, gender, and community-wise analysis of these is included in this section. "The committee has recommended excluding Scheduled Tribes from the Uniform Civil Code," an official statement on Monday said. The high-level panel was tasked with studying the prevailing systems related to various personal and family matters, such as marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption, and live-in relationships. Accordingly, the committee prepared a draft in accordance with the social, cultural, and economic conditions of Madhya Pradesh. The panel has worked towards ensuring gender equality, ensuring various ceremonial practices remain unaffected, respecting prevalent customs and practices, and constitutional provisions and public policy, the statement added. PTI MAS GK