After Bhagwant Mann's Civil Code Remark, Akali Dal Says "Spell Out Stand"

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a secular party and has no intention to tinker with social customs of any community, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said today, prompting questions on what is the party's actual stand on a Uniform Civil Code for all Indians.

Mr Mann's statement comes days after senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak told the media that AAP supports Uniform Civil Code "in principle".

"In principle, we support a Uniform Civil Code. The Constitution's Article 44 also supports it. But since this issue concerns all religious communities, there should be wide-ranging consultations and efforts to build consensus," Mr Pathak, AAP's national general secretary (organisation) and a Rajya Sabha MP, said last week.

Mr Pathak's remarks had come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code, making it clear that it will be a key poll plank for the BJP for the 2024 general election.

The AAP leader's remarks were also seen against the backdrop of its face-off with the Congress. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has said it would be "very difficult" to join any Opposition front comprising the Congress unless the latter backs it against centre's ordinance to control Delhi bureaucrats.

Responding to a question on the Uniform Civil Code, the Punjab Chief Minister listed the different customs followed by different communities in the country and compared India to a bouquet. "Should there be only one colour in a bouquet?" he asked. Mr Mann also said that every religion has its own culture and customs, so there is a need to build a consensus.

"I don't know why they are tinkering with these customs? Don't break down communities into tribes," he said in Punjabi.

Meanwhile, senior AAP leader has defended Mr Mann's statement and said, "I heard Bhagwant Mann ji's statement. He said talks should be held with all stakeholders and that's what the AAP's stand is."

He also accused the timing of the BJP and said the Union Government is raising the issue now with its eye on polls.

Mr Mann said that those supporting the Uniform Civil Code say it will make everyone socially equal. "Will everyone be socially equal? No. There are so many downtrodden people, they are not getting opportunities," he said.

Accusing the BJP of raising the issue with an eye on polls, he said, "The AAP does not tinker with such practices, AAP is a secular party, we just want the country to become Number 1."

Mr Mann's remarks drew a sharp response from Shiromani Akali Dal, which had earlier targeted AAP on its support to the Uniform Civil Code. "The Punjab CM @BhagwantMann should now tell AAP Convener @ArvindKejriwal to clearly spell out (the) party's stand on UCC & end AAP's double speak on this sensitive issue. It is shocking that AAP wants to vote in favour of UCC in Rajya Sabha even as Bhagwant Mann is befooling Punjabis by asserting that party is against it in Punjab," Akali Dal leader Daljit S Cheema said in a video statement.

The Akali Dal has sensed a political opportunity in Punjab after the AAP's "in-principle" support to Uniform Civil Code.

Sikhs account for nearly 60 per cent of Punjab's population. The community's key leaders and organisations have been underlining the distinct identity of the Sikh community and have, in the past, accused the BJP of distorting their history as part of a larger Hindutva push.

Last year, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which controls gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, had issued a statement against the Uniform Civil Code, saying it is not in the interest of the country.

The SGPC is currently dominated by Akali Dal members. This has repeatedly put it on a collision course with the Bhagwant Mann government, most recently over the ruling AAP's push for free broadcast of gurbani from the Golden Temple, the most revered shrine of the Sikhs.

Against this backdrop, Akali Dal, a panthic party, is now trying to corner AAP on the politically significant issue and regain lost ground.