Asaduddin Owaisi said the Law Commission has opined that Uniform Civil Code is not required. (File)
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday rejected the need for Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country amid the call for its implementation by the Chief Ministers of various BJP-ruled states.
"It (Uniform Civil Code) is not required in this country... Law Commission has opined that a UCC is not required," said Mr Owaisi.
Countering the argument of the advocates of UCC that the Directive Principle of State Policy enshrined in the Indian Constitution says "State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India," Mr Owaisi said, "it also talks about prohibition of liquor but nobody can be seen talking about that."
Mr Owaisi slammed BJP for being silent over a provision of Goa's common civil code which he said allows Hindu men to marry twice.
"As per Goa civil code, Hindu men have the right of second marriage if wife fails to deliver a male child by the age of 30. BJP has the government in that state too but they are silent over the matter," he said.
Further, in an attack on BJP governments, Mr Owaisi said, "Economy is failing, employment is rising, there is a power-coal crisis, but they (BJP leaders) are worried about UCC."
Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Jai Ram Thakur said that their governments will be examining the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the introduction of the legislation is necessary to give justice to Muslim women.
Notably, in BJP's 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, the party had promised the implementation of UCC if it came to power.