Speaking at the Republic Summit, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that his party remains committed to the cause of Uniform Civil Code and assured that it will be implemented in the country at a suitable time.
#ShahAtRepublicSummit | यूनिफॉर्म सिविल कोड हमारी पार्टी के घोषणापत्र में है, आपको कांग्रेस से पूछना चाहिए कि वे इस पर कब अपना पक्ष रखेंगे?: @AmitShah ने #RepublicSummit में कहा
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Here are the main issues that the Home Minister talked about:
Uniform Civil Code
Hitting out at the Congress party, Shah said that BJP’s stance on the Uniform Civil Code has remained steadfast but the Congress party has never made its stand clear on the issue. He asserted that Congress should clarify their stand on it.
The Union Home Minister asserted that UCC is on the BJP’s manifesto and the party does deliver on its promises.
Ayodhya Verdict
Shah also stated that the Congress had been the biggest impediment in the path of Ram Mandir. He stated that the party’s vote bank policies have caused delays for a resolution of the issue.
“Back in 2014, Congress argued that the Ayodhya dispute should be resolved after the General elections. Even in 2019, Congress’ Kapil Sibal advocated that the verdict on the contentious issue should be given after the 2019 General elections as it had the potential of affecting election results. The Supreme Court has given its judgment and provided us with 90 days to complete the necessary procedures. We will not let that 90 become 91,” Shah said.
Read: It was Congress that delayed the court hearing in Ayodhya case: Amit Shah in Jharkhand
Difference between Ayodhya and Sabarimala
Following the Ayodhya judgment, Shah had exhorted the people to peacefully accept the apex court’s decision of granting the land to the Hindu parties. Shah, however, drew a sharp distinction between his stance on the Sabrimala verdict and Ayodhya judgment. “Sabarimala issue is related to cultural practices and traditions whereas the Ayodhya case was a purely civil dispute. The two issues should not be conflated. The courts should refrain from regulating the religious beliefs of the people. If the court is predisposed in giving a judgment in the Sabarimala matter, I hope their decisions on women entry in mosques and Parsi temples remain consistent with the Sabarimala verdict,” Shah said.
Nationwide NRC
Regarding the nationwide implementation of National Register of Citizens(NRC), Shah responded in affirmative, questioning the detractors if they want to see their country turn into a ‘Dharamshala’. “NRC will be implemented across the country. This is my party’s stand on it,” Shah said.
PoK
When asked about the plan of action the government of India has initiated in reclaiming back Pakistan occupied Kashmir(PoK), Shah replied that such sensitive issues should not be discussed on national television, instead at the right time, the ‘plan of action’ will be set in motion in a discreet manner just like abrogation of Article 370 was carried out.
Maharashtra politics
Shah also spoke about the ongoing Maharashtra political crisis. He once again reasserted that no assurance of chief ministerial position was given to the Shiv Sena before the elections. Speaking on horse-trading allegations, Shah said, “Is it not horse-trading that the Shiv Sena has got the Chief Ministerial position? If it were about the welfare of Maharashtra, why didn’t the Congress party and NCP had their chief ministers?”
“In all our rallies, all senior BJP leaders have been saying that if the BJP-SS alliance wins, Devendra Fadnavis will be our CM, why was it not opposed then? We won on 70 per cent of the seats contested while Shiv Sena only bagged 42 per cent of the total seats they fought on. All Shiv Sena candidates, including Aditya Thackeray, used PM Modi’s cut-outs to garner votes in their constituencies. People of Maharashtra know it clearly that Shiv Sena acquired seats by using PM Modi’s name,” Shah declared.