ABAM Response towards Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) which lays its emphasis on the formulation of one law for the whole nation in matters to marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption for all religious communities, a priority agenda of 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) within its Sangh Parivar’s Hindu has been paving its way for the legislation in Parliament.

With more than 200 tribes living in North East India, the tribals are generally known by their feeling of community-centered life in every sphere of their activities whether it be the social organizations or the democratic way of administration. On the other hand, India, though existing as a nation-state for the last many years has been struggling to find the ‘Central Integrative Force’ to bind people together as a ‘Nation’ and the Hindutva Movement is understood to be a continuation in the attempt to find the religio-cultural basis of the nation of India by shifting its allegiance from Secularism to the Religious Nationalism of Hindutva.

In such a pluralistic context like India, adherents of different religions have been accommodated for centuries following the teachings of their respective religions. However, the proposed notion to introduce UCC is not only surprising but Article 44 of the Constitution is utilized to uphold a particular religious group on one hand and on the other, misleading the rest in total chaos. It has the potency to undermine the cultural fabric of the country and impinge upon the religious freedom. Cultural diversity cannot be compromised to the extent that our urge for uniformity itself becomes a reason for threat to the territorial integrity of the nation.

The Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM) firmly hold to the religious freedom as the spirit of the Indian Constitution, whereas Article 44 is an optional matter under Directive Principles of State Policy. Therefore, persistent efforts to implement UCC is just the tip of the iceberg because the whole process of detribalization and displacement will continue more rigorously. There is an ulterior motive to erode the cultural autonomy of the tribals diluting the unique constitutional rights and protections enjoyed by the tribal Christians and other religious minorities in Nagaland. Therefore, the demand for UCC is a deliberate attempt made by the government to destroy the freedom of the citizens particularly the minorities in India. Therefore, ABAM strongly condemn such initiatives by the ruling government of India as it not only threatens the unity and integrity of the nation but infringe the freedom of the Christian community in particular.