"We are only trying to implement what is mentioned in our Constitution," PM Modi said (File)
Amid the debate over the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that UCC is already in place in the state of Goa and everyone is living happily there.
He further asserted that even the Indian Constitution has mentioned the implementation of UCC.
In an interview with TV9 Bharatvarsh on Thursday, PM Modi said, "I am surprised why the Indian media asked this question after 75 years. Every PM since independence should ask this question. When it is mentioned in the Constitution, why has this not been implemented? Supreme Court has multiple times, asked the government to take a step on UCC."
Giving the example of Goa, the Prime Minister highlighted that there is a huge number of minorities (Christians) in the state.
There is a version of UCC in place in Goa, which is the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867. Under this, people belonging to all religions in Goa are subject to the same laws on matters like marriage, divorce and succession. Notably, Goa was under Portugese control till 1961.
"Those asking questions on UCC should take a look at Goa. There has been UCC in Goa since independence and there is the maximum number of minorities there. There is no issue in Goa, everyone is living happily and the state is progressing rapidly," he said.
"It is our commitment, and it is not our political ideology, it is our action on the Constitution. The Constitution is saying about UCC. Supreme Court is saying about UCC. We are only trying to implement what is mentioned in our Constitution," PM Modi added.
Implementing UCC is also mentioned in Article 44 of the Constitution of India as a directive principle.
Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to implement UCC earlier this year. BJP has promised in its election manifesto to implement UCC in the whole country.
Prime Minister Modi also refuted the allegations levelled by the Opposition that the BJP will "change the Constitution" if it wins over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
He said that the BJP-led NDA already has over 360 seats in the Lok Sabha and if it intended to "commit the sin" of changing the Constitution, it would have done that much before.
"Today, NDA has around 360 seats in Lok Sabha. Other than that, there is BJD which is not part of NDA...so we have sat with close to 400 seats in the Parliament for the last five years. If we had to commit a sin like this, we would have done it much earlier," PM Modi said.
"Why do they (Congress) level this allegation?...look at their history. The party that doesn't even believe in the sanctity of the party's own constitution, how will they respect India's constitution? This family (Gandhi family) has destroyed the party's constitution...they have always disrespected the Constitution. Jawaharlal Nehru, who is called the face of democracy, did the first constitutional amendment to curb freedom of expression," he further added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)