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| India's BJP manifesto pledges uniform civil code: what do you think of the legislation? | India's BJP manifesto pledges uniform civil code: what do you think of the legislation? |
| (5 months later) | |
| Hindu nationalist opposition BJP – the Bharatiya Janata Party – launched its manifesto on Monday, where it pledged to draft a controversial uniform civil code. The legislation would unify India's personal laws that govern matters such as marriage, divorce, maintenance, adoption and inheritance. In its current state, India's communities have their own set of laws where laws governing divorce among Hindus different to those governing Muslims or Christians. | Hindu nationalist opposition BJP – the Bharatiya Janata Party – launched its manifesto on Monday, where it pledged to draft a controversial uniform civil code. The legislation would unify India's personal laws that govern matters such as marriage, divorce, maintenance, adoption and inheritance. In its current state, India's communities have their own set of laws where laws governing divorce among Hindus different to those governing Muslims or Christians. |
| The BJP has said that a secular set of laws will "ensure gender equality." | |
| "BJP believes that there cannot be gender equality till such time India adopts a uniform civil code, which protects the rights of all women, and the BJP reiterates its stand to draft a uniform civil code, drawing upon the best traditions and harmonizing them with the modern times," the manifesto said. | "BJP believes that there cannot be gender equality till such time India adopts a uniform civil code, which protects the rights of all women, and the BJP reiterates its stand to draft a uniform civil code, drawing upon the best traditions and harmonizing them with the modern times," the manifesto said. |
| Recent opinion surveys predict a win for the Hindu nationalist opposition with the centre-left Nationalist Congress Party, which has ruled India for all but 13 years since it won independence from Britain in 1947, appears to be facing its worst ever defeat. It has said it will not support a uniform civil code. | |
| What do you think about the creation of a uniform civil code? Here's what Guardian readers had to say. Do you agree? | What do you think about the creation of a uniform civil code? Here's what Guardian readers had to say. Do you agree? |
| hrpanjwani | hrpanjwani |
| Its high time we had one. The advantages are obvious: actual secularism (aka no religion is special instead of all religions are special), real equality among citizens, boost to women's rights, reduction of vote bank politics, modernization of culture. | |
| redindian87 | redindian87 |
| Absolutely not. This is a horrible idea and it is absolutely keeping with the dirty tricks department of the BJP to paint this as gender parity. In short, they are blaming injustice on women on different religious laws, when the reason is patriarchy! | |
| That does not mean religious laws do not need to be changed. Of course they should, in keeping with the times. However, this must be done within the framework of those religious laws, not impose one set of rules for all religions. For all the pontification on women's rights, if this does come to pass, what will be implemented is their version of "modern values". | |
| premeditated2014 | premeditated2014 |
| A uniform civil code that guarantees the same rights in marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption to people, especially Indian women, of ALL religions is vital to Indian society and its progress. | |
| It will definitely be controversial mainly because of the Muslim opposition to anything that tries to bring Muslim women's personal laws onto a secular footing will be resolutely opposed by the All India Islamic Personal Law Board. The attempt to modernize HIndu laws was made by Nehru 65 years ago and he succeeded after 10 long years in passing the laws. | |
| No doubt the fight for a Uniform Indian Civil Code will be long, hard and controversial but it needs to be done for the betterment of Indian women. I only wish a less communal party could take charge of it. | |
| Kavi Mazumdar | Kavi Mazumdar |
| Yes please. No religion, even Islam, should be exempt from the civil law. It's high time a political party stops pandering to a vote bank. For heaven's sake, why do different religions have different laws in terms of personal inheritance, marriage etc? I suspect the vote banks wont be happy. Who cares ? Go ahead!! | |
| This should have been done a LONG time ago. | This should have been done a LONG time ago. |
| Tell us your thoughts in the comment thread and we'll post a selection above the line. | Tell us your thoughts in the comment thread and we'll post a selection above the line. |