India can't run on different laws, PM bats for UCC

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made a strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying that it is envisioned in the Constitution and that the Supreme Court has also sought its enforcement.

Sounding the bugle for the year-end Assembly elections in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from here, Mr Modi said that Muslims were being misled and instigated on UCC by some political parties pursuing vote-bank politics.

"How can there be one law for one member of a family and another law for another member of the same family? How can a family run then? How can a country run with such a dual system?" Mr Modi said this while addressing the BJP workers in 10 lakh booths in the country via video conference from here.

The Prime Minister accused the Opposition political parties of indulging in vote-bank politics by opposing the UCC.

Mr Modi said that the BJP has decided to adopt the policy of "Santustikaran (100 per cent satisfaction) instead of "tustikaran (appeasement)".

In his address, the Prime Minister said that the appeasement policy pursued by some political parties for votes has divided society and done harm to the country. He exhorted the BJP workers to ensure that people in their villages are fully satisfied with the implementation of various welfare programmes of the government.

Citing that the practice of "triple talaq" has shattered many Muslim families, Mr Modi regretted that some political parties have supported it for vote-bank gains.

"Those who are supporting triple talaq are doing grave injustice to Muslim girls. The practice of triple talaq has not only devastated the life of the victim but also her parents and other family members," he said, adding that triple talaq is not part of Islam and hence is not there in other Muslim countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Qatar.

"By hanging the triple talaq sword on Muslim girls, some people think they have the licence to subject them to perpetual persecution", Mr Modi said. That is why the BJP got the support of Muslim women on the triple talaq issue.

The Prime Minister said that vote-bank politics has led to discrimination against a section of Muslims in their own society and cited how Pasmanda Muslims have been deprived of their rights by the empowered section of their own society.

Taking a swipe at the show of Opposition unity in Patna recently, the Prime Minister said that some political parties have come together against the BJP with the common goal of protecting themselves from the actions of the government over the scams they have committed.

The level of unease seen among these political parties now was not witnessed during the 2014 and 2109 Lok Sabha polls. Those political parties that opposed Congress tooth and nail earlier are now bowing before the party, he added.

The desperation in them is an indication that the BJP is going to secure a massive victory in the 2024 general elections, he said.

Attacking the Congress party for calling its poll promises "guarantees", the PM said that nowadays a new terminology is being popularised, contending they can only "guarantee" corruption and accusing them of being involved in scams.

"It is a guarantee of corruption. The people of the country need to decide if they want such a guarantee of corruption", he said, citing cases of corruption faced by leaders of parties such as the Congress, RJD, NCP, TMC, DMK and BRS.

"If all the scams of the leaders of these political parties are counted, then it will be more than '20-lakh crores", he said, adding that he guarantees that action will be taken against the scamsters.

At a gathering of party workers, Mr Modi addressed 2,649 BJP workers present on the occasion and party workers in 10 lakh booths in the country via videoconference.

During the address, Mr Modi asked the BJP workers to win over the people in their respective booths by acting as social workers in their villages and solving the issues faced by the locals.

Earlier in the morning on Tuesday, Mr Modi flagged off the Bhopal-Indore and Bhopal-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express trains. He also flagged off three other Vande Bharat Express trains -- Ranchi-Patna, Dharwad-KSR Bengaluru and Goa-Mumbai.

BJP national president J.P. Nadda and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also spoke on the occasion.