Chaos in the Rajya Sabha when the Uniform Civil Code Bill was nominated by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar’s voice vote, with opposition parties including the Congress-CPIM moving to block it.
Three motions were introduced to oppose the same civil code ie legislative or administrative bill, the opposition to the bill said it would alienate the country and hurt the culture in various ways, but was defeated.
New Delhi: Rajasthan MP Kirodi Lal Meena of the Bharatiya Janata Party faced strong opposition when she introduced the Uniform Civil Code in India Bill in the Rajya Sabha. It was introduced as a private member’s bill. Chaos broke out in the Rajya Sabha today. The Code aims to eliminate personal laws based on religion.
Three motions were raised to oppose the bill, citing that it would isolate the country and disrupt its diverse culture. It was ultimately defeated by a vote of 63-23.
In this context, Union Minister Piyush Goyal argued that under the directive principles of the Constitution, it is a matter that raises the legitimate rights of a member, in the face of strong opposition from several parties. “Let this matter be debated in the House… It is not necessary to try to criticize the bill at this stage to complain about the government,” he said.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar then put the bill to a voice vote, with a majority of 63 votes in favor against 23.
An MP argues that it is unethical to introduce a bill with such a unilateral wide-ranging impact on people’s lives without detailed public consultation with different communities.