Patna, Sep 14: Differences have surfaced within the ruling NDA in Bihar over the proposed implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), with a JD(U) legislator ruling out its implementation in the state while an alliance minister said the issue could be considered after consultations.
The development comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the UCC would be implemented by 2029 in all 21 states where the BJP and NDA are in power.
JD(U) MLA and former minister Shyam Rajak on Monday said the UCC would not be implemented in Bihar “at any cost”, recalling that party leader Nitish Kumar had made his position clear on the issue.
“We all supported UCC in Parliament but that time also our leader Nitish Kumar had clearly stated that it would not be implemented in Bihar,” Rajak told reporters in Patna.
He said the JD(U) had maintained the same position despite supporting the legislation in Parliament.
Asked whether the presence of a BJP chief minister in Bihar could make it difficult to prevent implementation of the UCC, Rajak pointed to the coalition structure of the government.
“Yes, Bihar has BJP CM but we are running a government of alliance in which JD (U), Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) are partners. There is no independent government,” he said.
“There is no question of implementing UCC in Bihar at any cost,” Rajak added.
However, HAM(S) national president and Bihar minister Santosh Kumar Suman adopted a more conciliatory position, saying there must be merit in the proposal if it had been endorsed by the Union Home Minister.
“If Mr. Shah has said then there must be something good in UCC,” Suman said.
He said any concerns among alliance partners would be addressed through discussions and consultations.
“If there would be any issue over the implementation of UCC, then talks would be held with all the leaders of the alliance and they would be taken in confidence,” Suman said, adding that he would also discuss the issue with the chief minister.
Suman, however, denied any rift within the NDA, saying the statement of an individual leader should not be treated as the position of the entire party.
“There is no rift within the NDA and statement of one leader is not the statement of the entire party,” he said.
The Bihar BJP defended the UCC, with party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar Sharma saying it reflected the spirit of Article 44 of the Constitution and sought to ensure equal rights for women.
Sharma said the proposed law was not directed against any particular religion and claimed NDA-ruled states would take the issue forward through discussion, suggestions and consensus.
He said Bihar would also be part of the process, noting that there was time until 2029.
The opposition RJD, meanwhile, opposed the UCC and alleged that the BJP was seeking to target people belonging to a particular religion.
RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav said his party stood for secularism and would resist any move that threatened the rights or interests of Muslims.
“If there would be any attack on the people following Islam, then RJD will not sit quiet,” Yadav said.
“RJD follows secularism and we will never allow to scatter it,” he added.
The contrasting statements from NDA allies have brought the issue of the UCC into sharper focus in Bihar, where its implementation could become a significant point of discussion among coalition partners in the run-up to 2029.
