The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday promised to start an anti-radicalisation cell for “anti-national” persons in Gujarat if the party is voted back to power in the upcoming Assembly elections.

BJP President JP Nadda released the party’s manifesto in Gandhinagar today.

“Anti-radicalisation cell would identify and eliminate threats of destabilisation, sleeper cells of radical groups, terrorist organisations and anti-India forces,” Nadda said.

Although the senior party leader did not specify any group, his comments came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Gujarat government had taught a lesson to “anti-social elements” in 2002.

“They tried to create a problem for [Prime Minister] Narendra Bhai [Modi], but he taught them such a lesson that they have not dared to do anything till 2022,” Shah said, while addressing an election rally in Mahudha town of Kheda district. “The BJP government has established peace in Gujarat.”

During Saturday’s event, Nadda also said that the state government will bring in a law to recover damages done to public or private properties by “anti-social elements”. The party has also promised to implement the recommendation made by the judicial committee to bring in Uniform Civil Code in the state.

A Uniform Civil Code involves having a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all Indians, instead of allowing different personal laws for people of different faiths.

The aim of such uniformity is meant to ensure equality and justice for women in particular, who are often denied their rights in marriage, divorce and inheritance under patriarchal personal laws.

The Assembly polls in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5, while the results will be declared on December 8 along with the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.