AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday criticised Union home minister Amit Shah’s announcement that BJP-led NDA governments in 21 states would introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before 2029, questioning whether the ruling alliance’s partners had an independent political voice.
In a post on X, Owaisi said NDA allies should prove that they were not merely “choti BJP”.
Earlier reporting noted: “We introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in several states. “We are discussing this with our allies and the political parties in Manipur . As reported by HT earlier, Shah made the UCC announcement in Mumbai on Sunday while speaking about the BJP’s ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, a month-long nationwide outreach campaign marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in public life and power. Earlier reporting noted: Uniform Civil Code to be introduced in all NDA-ruled states before 2029: Amit Shah Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the governments in 21 states ruled by the BJP-led NDA will introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before the next parliamentary elections in 2029. I am confident that we will implement the UCC in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before 2029…Operations such as the surgical strikes, air strikes, and Operation Sindoor have established a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, while security has been prioritised across various sectors,” Shah said. He also said the government was discussing whether the year 1951 should be used as the baseline for the NRC in Manipur.
He also cited the Law Commission appointed by the NDA government, saying it had concluded that the UCC was “neither necessary nor desirable”. “The soul of this country is its pluralism,” Owaisi said, arguing that a Uniform Civil Code would amount to imposing Hindu law on non-Hindus. “A UCC isn’t about equality; it’s about targeting Muslims,” Owaisi said. Owaisi also linked Shah’s remarks to the anti-CAA/NRC protests of 2019, alleging that the home minister’s “misplaced arrogance” and “chronology” had contributed to the unrest. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had subsequently clarified that no NRC would be implemented. “The National Register of Citizens will force everyone to stand in line and prove their citizenship,” Owaisi said, questioning how people dependent on government ration would arrange documents to establish their citizenship. He added that discussions were underway with allies regarding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country, saying that they would “identify and flush out every single illegal infiltrator from India”. Earlier reporting noted: Shah said that discussions were underway with the allies on the possibility of implementing the NRC exercise across the country. Once we reach a conclusion, it will be shared publicly,” he said.
