The Uniform Civil Code is in line with the wishes of the framers of the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed in Parliament on Thursday.

“Some people must be thinking as to what this UCC is,” Modi said in the Rajya Sabha while replying to the Motion of Thanks on the president’s address. “But those who will read about the debates of the Constituent Assembly will know that we are trying to act according to that spirit.”

The prime minister further said: “Some people’s politics may pose a barrier for them. But we can muster the courage for such steps as the sentiments of the framers of the Constitution live within us.”

Article 44 of the Constitution says that the State should “endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India”. However, the provision is part of Directive Principles of State Policy, and is thus not legally enforceable.

The Uniform Civil Code is a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens. Currently, such personal affairs of different religious and tribal groups are based on community-specific laws, largely derived from religious scripture.

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Introducing a common personal law has long been on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s agenda and several states ruled by the Hindutva party have been taking steps towards implementing it.

On January 17, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code after independence. A common civil code has been in place in Goa since the Portuguese Civil Code was adopted in 1867.

In Gujarat, another BJP-ruled state, the government on Tuesday appointed a five-member committee to prepare a draft Uniform Civil Code for the state. The panel has been asked to submit its report to the state government in 45 days.

In its campaign for the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, the BJP had mainly targeted Muslim personal law, arguing that it discriminated against women as it allows Muslim men to practice polygamy, inherit a greater share of property, initiate divorce and deny alimony.

Legal experts have said that the legislation has primarily drawn from Hindu personal law and could lead to the erasure of the personal law practices of minority communities.

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