Uniform code, NRC in BJP's K'taka promises

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised on Monday to implement a uniform civil code (UCC) in Karnataka, introduce a national register of citizens (NRC), and set up a special police unit to probe religious fundamentalism, in addition to a raft of welfare schemes aimed at families below the poverty line (BPL), if voted back to power in the May 10 assembly elections.

Party chief JP Nadda released the BJP's Praja Pranalike, or people's manifesto, in Bengaluru, and said it was centred around six As - anna (food security), akshara (quality education), arogya (affordable health), aadaya (assured income), abhaya (social justice for all), and abhivruddhi (development).

The party announced three free gas cylinders a year to BPL families, in addition to half-a-litre of milk every day and 5kg of millets in monthly ration kits to these households. It also pledged to open affordable canteens across the state and build one million houses for homeless people in a major welfare push. It promised to establish a state capital region for Bengaluru and a bouquet of measures for pilgrims, including a Ram temple in the state.

But its promise of UCC and NRC garnered the most attention.

"We will implement the UCC in Karnataka based on the recommendations given by a high-level committee, which will be constituted for the purpose... We will introduce the NRC in Karnataka and ensure the speedy deportation of all illegal immigrants in the state," said the 48-page manifesto.

UCC aims to replace laws based on religious texts or traditions, to set common laws for marriage, divorce, succession, adoption, guardianship and partition of land and assets for all citizens. It has been a long-pending demand of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP and has been part of the BJP's election manifesto for decades.

"The Constitution (of India) allows us to move in the direction of UCC. Justice to all, appeasement to none is our policy," Nadda said.