"Exclusive Access?": Congress's Big Question To AAP On Uniform Civil Code

A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it supports a Uniform Civil Code for all Indians "in principle", the Congress, which is locked in a fierce faceoff with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, has raised a question.

Senior Congress leader and the party's media and publicity head Pawan Khera has said he is surprised at the speed at which AAP announced its support for Uniform Civil Code, which has been on BJP's to-do list for long.

"I am truly surprised at the speed with which AAP has extended support to the #UniformCivilCode. Even as other responsible parties wait for the draft proposal from the govt, does AAP have exclusive access to the draft of the UCC proposal?," Mr Khera tweeted today.

The remark came a day after senior AAP leader and MP Sandeep Pathak said the party supports a Uniform Civil Code "in principle". "But since this issue concerns all religious communities, there should be wide-ranging consultations and efforts to build consensus," he said.

Uniform Civil Code, a subject of intense debate over the years, is back under the spotlight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pitch for it during an address in Bhopal.

The Prime Minister's remarks, which said the country cannot run on two sets of laws, have sparked a buzz that the BJP may try to push a legislation for Uniform Civil Code and use it as a trump card for the 2024 general election, when it is likely to face a united Opposition front.

The AAP's stand on the issue also needs to be seen against the backdrop of its ongoing face-off with the Congress. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party has said that it will be very difficult for AAP to join any alliance with the Congress till the latter publicly supports the Delhi government's fight against the centre's ordinance that seeks to control Delhi bureaucrats.