‘UCC is neither practical nor appropriate’
Shillong, Jan 30: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday said that the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is neither practical nor appropriate, given the country’s diverse cultural and tribal communities.
He said UCC as a concept and UCC as a specific bill or act are two separate aspects that must not be conflated.
“A Uniform Civil Code, as a concept of making sure that everything becomes uniform, is not possible in India. There are tribal and indigenous communities with unique practices that may not align with the uniformity. To impose uniformity on every aspect of life, across all communities, would not be correct,” the chief minister said.
However, he acknowledged that certain aspects of civil laws could be made uniform while protecting the rights of indigenous communities.
Pointing on Uttarakhand, which became the first state to implement the UCC while excluding tribal customs from its purview.
“If a bill at the national or state level were to declare that the entire country should adopt a matrilineal system, Meghalaya would support that, because we are a matrilineal society. It all depends on the content of the bill—what aspects are being made uniform and in what way.”
He underscored that Meghalaya has no plans to implement UCC.
“For us, as a state government, we are very clear: the Uniform Civil Code is not on our agenda. We respect the diverse identities of our tribal communities, and their traditional practices must be protected.”
His statement comes amid growing discussions on UCC, with Assam expressing interest in following Uttarakhand’s lead in implementing the code.
Read: Meghalaya launches Pla Tangka Cooperative Society to empower rural women entrepreneurs
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