Madhya Pradesh government has signaled a new step towards implementing one common civil law for all citizens, just like one nation and one constitution. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill will be tabled in the Assembly during the upcoming monsoon session.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a Sandipani School in Katni district, the Chief Minister said, “When one country can have one constitution, one flag and one leadership, then why should there be separate laws for Hindus and Muslims? There should be one law for everyone.”
Raising the issue of polygamy, he further said, “If Ram can marry only once, then why should Rahim marry two, three or four times? Our Muslim sisters are also our sisters. After UCC comes into force, only a person who marries one person legally will get legal recognition in Madhya Pradesh.”
The Chief Minister also mentioned the practice of instant triple talaq. He said, “There should be one law for everyone. If someone says ‘talaq, talaq, talaq’, then he will go to jail. The era of triple talaq is over. Only one marriage will get legal recognition.”
Yadav informed that before the Bill is introduced in the Assembly, it will be placed for approval in the next Cabinet meeting to be held in Jagdishpur.
Meanwhile, the Congress has strongly criticized the Chief Minister’s remarks. Party spokesperson Abbas Hafiz said, “Both the names ‘Ram’ and ‘Rahim’ are sacred in their respective religions. Using these two names for political comparison reflects the Chief Minister’s degraded mindset.”
He also questioned whether the government would cancel the rights of certain tribal communities who are permitted polygamy under the Constitution.
Hafiz alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is doing politics by targeting a particular community in the name of UCC. According to him, if the law is not applied equally to all communities, then its purpose is not legal reform but political gain.
