"Historic moment for us": BJP MLA Shiv Arora as Uttarakhand CM Dhami tables Bill on Uniform Civil Code

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday tabled the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) 2024 Bill in the Uttarakhand State Assembly. BJP MLA Shiv Arora expressed jubilation over the event, describing it as a momentous milestone. "This is a historic moment for us. What can be a greater happiness than UCC? It gives equal rights to the people. CM Dhami introduced it today," remarked Arora.

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP MLA Pritam Pawar hailed the move as a crucial step towards a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India). "Congratulations to CM Dhami. He fulfilled his commitment to the people of the state. This decision is a crucial step towards 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India). We will be included in the list of developed countries only if our laws are uniform. UCC will be beneficial for the women of the country irrespective of their religion," Pawar told newswire ANI.

The introduction of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) 2024 Bill in the State Assembly occurred during the ongoing special four-day session, which commenced on Monday. After Chief Minister Dhami tabled the bill, slogans of "Vande Mataram" and "Jai Shri Ram" reverberated within the State Assembly. Subsequently, the House was adjourned till 2 pm.

Earlier, CM Dhami had expressed pride in Uttarakhand's move towards implementing the UCC. He announced on social media, "With the aim of giving equal rights to the citizens of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, a Uniform Civil Code bill will be introduced in the Assembly today. It is a moment of pride for all the people of the state that we will be known as the first state in the country to move towards implementing UCC."

The initiative comes after the Uttarakhand Cabinet approved the final draft of the UCC, aiming to establish uniform civil laws for all communities in the state. The UCC proposes uniform regulations pertaining to marriage, divorce, land, property, and inheritance laws. This legislative move fulfills a significant promise made by the BJP during the 2022 Assembly polls campaign.

In March 2022, the Dhami government initiated the formation of a committee tasked with preparing a draft for the UCC, which was subsequently handed over to the Chief Minister by the five-member committee led by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. (With inputs from ANI)