A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed confidence that all 21 BJP-NDA-ruled states would implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before 2029, three key allies of the BJP-led alliance struck a cautious note on the proposal.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which is in power in Andhra Pradesh, said there was no discussion on the issue so far and stressed the need to consult stakeholders before taking a decision. Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, the TDP parliamentary party leader, told The Times of India, “As of now, there is no discussion but whenever we find the need for it, we will look into it. We will definitely involve various stakeholders before we adopt it.”
The Janata Dal (United), which is part of the BJP-led coalition in Bihar, also stopped short of endorsing an immediate rollout. JD(U) working president Sanjay Jha told The Times of India that he would meet Shah to discuss the issue. Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan, another BJP ally, too, called for consultations before his party takes a position.
JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, who stepped down as Bihar’s longest-serving chief minister in April to make way for BJP leader Samrat Chaudhary, has supported the idea of a UCC in the past. However, he had also maintained that consensus should be built by taking all communities on board.
The party’s latest response follows Shah’s assertion that UCC would be introduced across the BJP-NDA-ruled states before 2029. Rather than immediately backing the timeline, Sanjay Jha said he would discuss the matter with the home minister.
Chirag Paswan also adopted a cautious approach. He said his party was committed to both uniformity and diversity, while pointing out that the Constitution recognises different traditions and practices followed by different communities.
Paswan cited exemptions for Scheduled Tribes under different schedules and Articles of the Constitution as evidence of the recognition of diverse traditions and practices.
He said the UCC proposal should first be made public, followed by consideration of the interests of stakeholders and comprehensive consultations. His party, he added, would make its position clear after that process.
The responses from the three allies came a day after Shah made his remarks at a press conference in Mumbai. “Triple talaq has been abolished, giving Muslim women equal rights. We have introduced Uniform Civil Code in several states and I am confident that in the 21 BJP-NDA ruled states, we will introduce UCC before 2029,” Shah said.
The BJP has pursued the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code through state governments rather than seeking to introduce a nationwide law in one go.
Uttarakhand has already implemented the UCC, while Gujarat, Assam and Madhya Pradesh have passed legislation related to it.
Shah’s 2029 timeline comes ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections, which are scheduled to be held in 2029. The cautious responses from TDP, JD(U) and LJP (Ram Vilas), however, indicate that the proposal could require further discussions within the BJP-led alliance before some of its state governments move ahead.
