Uniform Civil Code Issue: Rijiju-led GoM Begins Consultations, Tribal Groups from Northeast in Focus

A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke out on the need for a unified civil code, a Group of Ministers (GoM) has been formed for further deliberation on the issue. Government officials confirmed to CNN-News18 that Morocco’s government, headed by former Law Minister Keren Rigo, has begun consultations on the UCC case. Some of the other members, as per the sources, are Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, Minister for Law Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister in charge of North East G Kishan Reddy.

“Marathon meetings of the Montenegrin government were held until Wednesday to discuss various issues related to the Unified Civil Code,” an official told CNN-News18.

The sources said that the chief ministers of the northeastern states were also spoken in the past two days. Meghalaya CM Conard Sangma met Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday. He tweeted after the meeting: “It was a pleasure to call my friend and Honorable Minister @KirenRijiju ji this afternoon. We had a detailed discussion on common issues and agenda related to development and welfare of our people.”

Sangma said earlier that the idea of ​​UCC conflicts with the idea of ​​India. “Unified Civil Code as per NPP, speaking from the party’s point of view, goes against the actual idea of ​​India itself. India is a diverse nation and diversity is our strength,” Sangma said. And as a political party we realize that the entire Northeast in fact has the unique culture and styles of our society and we want that to remain and we don’t want that to be touched.”

The Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zuramthanga, also wrote to the Indian Law Commission against the UCC Act. Zoramthanga argued that the UCC conflicts with the interests of ethnic minorities in general and those of the Mizos in particular. “Since the proposed implementation of the UCC throughout the territory of India goes against the religious and social practices of the Mizos and their customary law/personal law which is specifically protected by constitutional provisions, the aforementioned proposal is from the NDA government in the center,” Zoramthanga said in his letter, according to PTI.

Sources told CNN-News18 that GoM on UCC has held in-person and telephone consultations with all the chief ministers of the North East. The states have large tribal populations, and they oppose any attempt to change their personal laws.

Sushil Modi, chairman of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Law and Justice, reportedly questioned the feasibility of including tribes in the scope of the CCC. He was reported to have indicated at a committee meeting that the constitution afforded protection to tribal customs and way of life.