If re-elected, BJP will implement Uniform Civil Code in UP: Amit Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the BJP would implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttar Pradesh if voted back to power, while predicting that the Samajwadi Party would remain out of power in the state for the next 30 years.Amit Shah was addressing the BJP Uttar Pradesh unit's State Working Committee meeting. (File photo) (HT_PRINT)Addressing the BJP Uttar Pradesh unit's State Working Committee meeting, Shah said, “This time, when the government comes to power, UCC will be implemented in Uttar Pradesh. UCC has already been implemented in many states.”Targeting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said, “Akhilesh Babu, mark my words, your party will not form the government in Uttar Pradesh for the next 30 years. The people will not forgive even your third generation.”Also Read: BJP’s state-by-state push for UCC raises a key question: Is it ‘uniform’ code?UCC debateShah's announcement comes amid renewed calls by BJP leaders for the implementation of UCC across the country, with party leaders in several states backing a common set of civil laws.Recently, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called for the implementation of the UCC nationwide, arguing that Muslim women were among those most affected by its absence. He said a common law was necessary to address issues such as polygamy and pointed out that the UCC had already been notified in Assam."The UCC has already been notified in Assam and should be implemented nationwide," Sarma said in Basti district of Uttar Pradesh. He also said Muslim women suffer the most in the absence of such a law, news agency PTI reported.The remarks followed comments by former Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Karol, who on Thursday described the UCC as the need of the hour and said a central civil code should be in place to bring uniformity to the law.He was addressing the National Legal Dialogue on Article 44 and UCC, organised by the Bharat Collective Foundation. Karol acknowledged that there could be differing views on the subject but maintained that a common civil code should be in place.Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari recently said his government would introduce stringent laws against "love jihad" and "land jihad" within six months and implement the UCC in the state, along the lines of Uttarakhand and Gujarat.Talking about the Uniform Civil Code, the chief minister said West Bengal would follow Uttarakhand and Gujarat in implementing a Uniform Civil Code."Give us six months, will also bring stringent laws against love and land jihad," he told the gathering.The West Bengal government has constituted a high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state.According to a government notification, the West Bengal UCC Bill aims to standardise civil laws across all communities on matters concerning marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption. The UCC was one of the key poll promises of the BJP in the 2026 Assembly elections.(With inputs from agencies)