Uniform Civil Code can't be forced on people: Chidambaram

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a Uniform Civil Code, Congress leader P Chidambaram said it cannot be forced on people by an "agenda-driven majoritarian government" as it will "widen divisions" among people.

The former Union minister claimed the prime minister was batting for UCC to divert people's attention from issues of unemployment, price rise and hate crimes.

He also alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party was using UCC to polarise the society.

"The Hon'ble PM is making it appear that UCC is a simple exercise. He should read the report of the last Law Commission that pointed out it was not feasible at this time

"The nation is divided today owing to the words and deeds of the BJP. A UCC imposed on the people will only widen the divisions," Chidambaram said.

Noting that a Uniform Civil Code is an aspiration, the senior Congress leader said, "It cannot be forced on the people by an agenda-driven majoritarian government."

"The Hon'ble PM's strong pitch for UCC is intended to divert attention from inflation, unemployment, hate crimes, discrimination and denying states' rights. The people must be vigilant," he said on Twitter.

Chidambaram alleged that having failed in good governance, the BJP was deploying the UCC to polarise the electorate and attempt to win the next elections.

"The PM has equated a nation to a family while pitching for UCC. While in an abstract sense his comparison may appear true, the reality is very different. 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," he said in the tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong push for a Uniform Civil Code, asking how can the country function with dual laws that govern personal matters, and accused the Opposition of using the UCC issue to "mislead and provoke" the Muslim community.

The UCC has been one of the three key poll planks of the BJP for a long time with the other being the abrogation of Article 370 which had given special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

UCC refers to a common set of laws that are applicable to all the citizens of India that is not based on religion and dealing with marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption among other personal matters.

The Law Commission had on June 14 initiated a fresh consultation process on UCC by seeking views from stakeholders, including public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically sensitive issue.