SHILLONG: Meghalaya BJP leader Bernard Marak has stated that the tribal communities of the Northeast states should not get worried with the uniform civil code (UCC).
Meghalaya BJP leader Bernard Marak said that the uniform civil code (UCC) is not meant for the tribal areas but for the general areas.
He said that the Northeast region of India is protected by special provisions of the Constitution.
“BJP wants to restore what has been lost and taken away from the tribals in the past by the political parties which ruled the state,” he said.
Earlier, union minister SP Singh Baghel said that Northeast region of India will not get affected by the implementation of the uniform civil code (UCC).
He stated that the ruling BJP ‘respects’ the cultures of the tribals and communities from the Northeast.
Also read: Northeast won’t get affected by uniform civil code, says central minister
The union minister added that the BJP-led government will not implement a law that goes against the interests of the people of the Northeast.
“The customs of the Northeast are respected by the party, and we will not hurt any religious or social customs, but appeasement politics is not right either,” he said.
No Centre-passed law can be implemented in certain areas of the Northeast – including tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram – which are protected by Schedule 6 of the Constitution of India, union minister SP Singh Baghel said.
Other Northeast states will also be consulted and their views taken into account before any law is made or implemented, he said.
It may be mentioned here that some sections in the Northeast states have raised objection to proposed implementation of the uniform civil code (UCC).
Strongest of the opposition to proposed implementation of the UCC has come from Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, which are Christian-majority states.