A Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the entire country will be implemented, and efforts will be made to introduce ‘One Nation, One Election’ within the next five years if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is re-elected in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated.

In an interview with PTI on Saturday, Shah emphasized that the ruling party at the Centre has not engaged in any religion-based campaign. However, he acknowledged that if canvassing against reservations for Muslims, advocating for the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, and promising a UCC appear religion-based, then the ruling party has done so and will continue to do so.

Addressing the UCC, Shah said, “The UCC is a responsibility left to us by the makers of our Constitution. The guiding principles decided by the Constituent Assembly include the UCC. Legal scholars like K M Munshi, Rajendra Babu, and Ambedkar Ji advocated that there should not be laws based on religion in a secular country. There should be a UCC.”

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A UCC would establish uniform rules for marriage, divorce, inheritance, financial compensation, and adoption across all communities. However, many activists and experts fear this could undermine the customs and traditions of specific communities, such as tribals, and target their faiths.

In February, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand enacted a law for implementing the UCC, and other states ruled by the party are expected to follow suit. Shah described the UCC as a significant social, legal, and religious reform, emphasizing the need for social and legal scrutiny, consultation with religious leaders, and extensive debate on the issue.

He added, “If there is anything to change in the model law made by the Uttarakhand government after this extensive debate, the judiciary’s opinion will also come. Then, the state legislatures and Parliament should think seriously and enact a law. That is why we have included in our manifesto that the BJP aims to have a UCC for the entire country.”

Shah expressed confidence that the UCC could be implemented within the next five years. Regarding simultaneous polls, he mentioned the government’s commitment to achieving ‘One Nation, One Election’, highlighting the report submitted by the Ram Nath Kovind committee recommending synchronized polls.

Shah dismissed the Opposition’s claims of the BJP conducting a religion-based campaign. He reiterated that the party’s stance on issues such as reservations for Muslims, the abrogation of Article 370, and the UCC is not religion-based but will continue if perceived as such.

On May 1, Prime Minister Modi challenged the Congress and its allies to pledge in writing that they will never support a religion-based quota, asserting his commitment to preventing any misuse of reservations.

Addressing the Opposition’s promise to scrap the Agnipath scheme for armed forces recruitment if elected, Shah defended the scheme as highly beneficial for the youth, criticizing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s opposition to it.

Shah also discussed the ethnic strife in Manipur, emphasizing the government’s efforts to resolve the conflict between the Meiteis and Kukis through building trust and dialogue, which have been delayed due to the elections.

Regarding the high voter turnout in Jammu & Kashmir, Shah hailed it as a victory for democracy and a success of the Narendra Modi government’s Kashmir policy, reiterating the promise of statehood after the assembly elections.