Top Congress legal heads discuss UCC, decides to see govt draft proposal first

New Delhi: Several top legal counsels of the Congress on Saturday held a meeting to discuss the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) at the party headquarters.

It was decided after the meeting that the party will wait for the draft proposal of the government before taking a stand on the issue.

According to party sources, senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Vivek Tankha, KTS Tulsi and L. Hanumanthaiah held a meeting for over UCC.

The meeting of the Congress leaders, who all are senior counsels deliberated over the issue of UCC for over 90 minutes, party sources said.

The source said that during the meeting it was decided that the party will first wait for the draft proposal of the government on the UCC and then decide its stand over the same.

The meeting of the senior counsels of the Congress comes ahead of the Monsoon Session that will begin on July 20 and continue till August 11.

The Rajya Sabha Parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice, which is headed by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi, on July 3 discussed the UCC during its meeting.

Congress Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore sought to know from the committee, the real intent behind discussing the UCC at a time when several state assembly elections are lined up during the next few months.

It is unlikely that the government will bring the Bill on UCC during the Monsoon Session.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing BJP booth workers in Madhya Pradesh last month had pitched for UCC and said that Muslims were being misled in the name of UCC.

“These days, people are being provoked by the UCC. You tell me, if there is one law for one person in a home, and another law for another person, can that house function?” he asked.

On June 14, the Law Commission published a notice soliciting views and ideas of the public at large and recognised religious organisations about the UCC.

The 22nd Law Commission of India, with regard to reference dated June 17, 2016, sent by the Ministry of Law & Justice, is examining the subject matter of UCC once again seeking the opinions and ideas of the general public.

It states that views and suggestions are to be submitted within 30 days.

–IANS

 

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