Nationwide NRC, Uniform Civil Code need of the hour: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Ahead of the state legislative polls in Karnataka, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke about the need for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code and the National Register for Citizens (NRC).

Sarma, who is campaigning for the Bhartiya Janata Party in Karnataka, added, "Implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will ensure gender justice and equal rights for Muslim women. Karnataka BJP made a very bold commitment and it will usher a nationwide demand for the implementation of UCC across the country".

The Assam CM also said that nationwide NRC is the need of the hour.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP made a slew of promises in its manifesto for Karnataka polls yesterday including the implementation of the UCC and NRC and providing three free cooking gas cylinders to BPL families annually.

BJP made 16 top promises in its "Praja Pranalike' 2023.

In an announcement similar to the one in the run-up to the Gujarat and Uttarakhand Assembly polls last year, the BJP promised to implement Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Karnataka on the basis of the recommendations of a high-level committee which is to be constituted for the purpose.

The party said it will introduce the National Register of Citizens and ensure the speedy deportation of all illegal immigrants in the state.

What is Uniform Civil Code?

UCC proposes creating and enforcing a single set of personal laws that would apply to all citizens equally.

Under the current system, different religions are bound by different personal laws and with varying restrictions and exemptions. The implementation of UCC would remove all perceived ‘inequalities’ and essentially bring all communities to par with each other.

What is NRC?

For the first time since the Assam assembly polls in 2021, the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has made a return to the BJP election manifesto in Karnataka polls. The BJP promised to implement NRC in the southern state to ensure the deportation of "all illegal immigrants" if voted to power.

The party had so far, though, refrained from touching on the NRC in its state poll manifestoes except in Assam, where the issue of illegal immigrants has long been a concern, especially among indigenous communities.

The BJP in its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections had pledged its support to the NRC as well as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which was passed by Parliament in 2019 but has not been rolled out in the absence of rules.

Political watchers believe that the BJP has amped up its Hindutva agenda in Karnataka by introducing the NRC, an issue close to the heart of its core supporters, as it pulls out all the stops to beat off the challenge from the opposition Congress in a state which has often voted out the incumbent government.