Family, Nation Not Same; UCC Can’t Be Forced: Chidambaram’s Criticism

While the Congress on Tuesday criticised PM Modi’s pitch for the Uniform Civil Code as a diversionary tactic without going into the debate over a single set of rules for all religions in the country, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the comparison between a family and the nation to justify Uniform Civil Code like PM Modi did in his address to the party workers in Madhya Pradesh is flawed.

Advocating for a Uniform Civil Code, PM Modi asked whether a family runs on two sets of rules. The pitch for UCC ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election became a fodder for political discourse while Chidambaram on Wednesday put forward his opinion that the comparison is not correct.

“A family is knit together by blood relationships. A nation is brought together by a Constitution which is a political-legal document. Even in a family, there is diversity. The Constitution of India recognised diversity and plurality among the people of India,” Chidambaram said.

A Uniform Civil Code is an aspiration and not something that can be forced on the people by an “agenda-driven majoritarian government,” Chidambaram tweeted.

“The Hon’ble PM’s strong pitch for the UCC is intended to divert attention from inflation, unemployment, hate crimes, discrimination and denying States’ rights. The people must be vigilant. Having failed in good governance, the BJP is deploying the UCC to polarise the electorate and attempt to win the next elections,” the senior Congress leader said.