Shimla: A day after he endorsed a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Himachal Pradesh’s Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh said Sunday that the Congress “will never go against the sentiments of any section of the country, and neither should any government”.
“Everyone should be consulted and their issues need to be addressed,” said Vikramaditya, the Congress MLA from Shimla (Rural) and son of state Congress president Pratibha Singh and former chief minister and Congress stalwart late Virbhadra Singh.
His comments on the UCC the previous day had elicited sharp reactions from sections of his own party, which has officially adopted a ‘wait and watch’ stance on this matter. A UCC aims to replace personal laws based on religion with a common set of laws for all citizens.
In a statement to the media persons Saturday, Singh had said, “I support UCC, but it should not be politicised unnecessarily.”
“A BJP-NDA-led majority government is in the country. Whenever there is an election, the government pulls in some and other issues to mislead people. Now, they are talking about UCC deviating from real — employment and falling GDP,” he told reporters.
On the UCC, he went on to add, “Whenever the UCC will come, we will support it. We are an integral part of the Congress party. As and when UCC comes, we will support it. Congress has always worked for unity and integrity of the nation.”
However, speaking to ThePrint Sunday, Singh clarified that his statement was blown out of proportion. “Let the UCC come. If the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) takes everyone on board, and if the step taken by the government is in the interest of every section of society, we all will support it. I have and will always abide by the party line,” Singh said.
He added that BJP leaders should also respond to the part of his statement where he questioned them over their ‘silence’ on issues like Manipur, employment and curtailment of financial support to Himachal Pradesh. Singh was referring to remarks he made Saturday when he slammed the BJP for its silence over the ongoing violence in Manipur.
“But real issues, the nation is faced with should also be talked about. Manipur has been burning for a month and pushed towards a civil war. Neither action has been taken against the CM nor has a firm step been taken to resolve the issue. Such issues should be dealt with on priority. BJP does not talk about real issues. But it prefers to initiate a debate to put real issues on the back burner,” he had told reporters.
Asked about his stance on the UCC, the Congress distanced itself from the remarks, terming it a “personal opinion”.
Senior Congress leader and state Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar told ThePrint, “Though, Congress is yet to make its stand clear on the issue. Anything that divides, or scares people should always be avoided. The BJP brought it to divert the attention of the public. But people are smart today, they know the intention behind coining the issue.”
He added that the UCC is an old issue but the BJP chose to raise it with an eye on the general election next year.
Also Read: UCC can strengthen country, but BJP raising it to cover up its failures, says Mayawati
BJP vs Congress
Vikramaditya’s statement, however, did open the doors for an attack from the Himachal Pradesh BJP.
Speaking to ThePrint Sunday, BJP leader and former chief minister Jairam Thakur said, “I have read on social media that Vikramaditya Singh has supported it (UCC). It means he listened to his conscience.”
“I wish, better sense prevails on the Congress party and its high command, to support UCC. Because, many leaders, across the party line, are in favour of UCC besides the common public of the country. This step is in the interest of the nation,” he added.
The state Congress unit, though, refused to comment on the issue.
“He (Vikramaditya) has his own opinion (on UCC). As far as I know, he said he has not spoken anything against the party line. Congress will never allow any section of society to be deprived. Any tactics to divide people, deviate from real issues should be discouraged,” said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s media adviser Naresh Chauhan said.
This was not the first time Vikramaditya differed from the party line. Earlier, when Congress spokespersons were critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘official state visit’ to the US, Singh posted Modi’s picture from the visit on social media. In a Facebook post on 23 June, he wrote, “This is a proud moment for us being an Indian. Political ideology is a different issue but we are united for India’s unity and strength on the international platform.”
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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