A vigorous national debate has unfolded over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and is led by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The most disturbing dimension of this debate has been the way it is perceived through the lens of it being a Hindu-Muslim issue.
For years, the Hindu Right's propaganda machine has packaged it as part of the appeasement politics of Indian Muslims. Any endeavour to understand this debate would, however, imply that there is more to it than the Hindu-Muslim issue. Moreover, it is not the Muslims who would find themselves at the receiving end if the UCC could be formulated objectively or without any majoritarian biases.
Interestingly, the BJP has presented the UCC as a major campaign issue in the recent Assembly elections both, in Karnataka and, Himachal Pradesh. Though the party has lost elections in these two states, it is determined to pursue the UCC campaign.
In the recent years, the BJP's chief ministers from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and the other BJP ruled states have been more pro-active in this campaign compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah. The BJP seems to have unleashed some kind of bottom-up strategy to create a favorable countrywide eco-system for the UCC. Otherwise, how one would understand the BJP's decision to present the UCC as a massive issue in Himachal Pradesh, where Muslim politics is rather inconsequential. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, set up a five-member committee in May 2022 to prepare a draft. It is chaired by Ranjana Prakash Desai, a retired Supreme Court Judge.
Denne historien er fra July 11, 2023-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra July 11, 2023-utgaven av Outlook.
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Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee