Bihar: Nitish Kumar's JD-U Opposes BJP's Call For Uniform Civil Code in the State

Patna: One after another, Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled (BJP) states strongly favoured preparing a draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Bihar is an exception as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state appears divided over the issue.

In the latest news, Bihar chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar's party Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) has rejected the growing demand from BJP leaders to introduce UCC in the state.

On Monday, senior JD-U leader Upendra Kushwaha made it clear that there was no need for UCC in Bihar, ignoring the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's stress on implementing it across the country two days ago.

"UCC is not possible till Kumar is CM. There is no question about implementing the UCC in the state. The party will not compromise on its principles. The country is being run as per the constitution," said Kushwaha, chairman of the JD-U's national parliamentary board.

Kushwaha is considered close to Kumar and known as a champion of Mandal politics. His questioning of the BJP leaders' demand to implement UCC in the state in line with other BJP ruled states is widely seen as a part of JD-U's efforts to corner the BJP on this issue.

"We will not support implementing UCC at any cost and are ready to oppose it," he said.

Kushwaha stated this in reply to senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, former deputy chief minister. Modi said that UCC should be implemented in Bihar following Shah's announcement.

Shah reportedly announced last week that after Ram Mandir, CAA, Triple Talaq and Article 370, the UCC will now be implemented in the country.

BJP state spokesperson Sanjay Tiger said UCC is a need of the hour, and it should be implemented in the interest of the nation. Several BJP leaders have demanded a UCC in Bihar in the last few days.

A political watcher said Kushwaha's statement is seen as part of Kumar's strategy to send a political message to ally BJP's top leadership in Delhi that his party will not follow the saffron party's plan to polarise society further.

"In recent years, Kumar expressed his strong reservation about UCC citing constitution and reiterated that UCC should not be imposed on anyone."

Another political watcher recalled that Kumar had opposed the UCC despite being a part of the NDA. In 2017, Kumar rejected the 16-point questionnaire on the UCC sent by the Law Commission of India and favoured a debate in parliament, state legislative assemblies, civil society, and other forums.

Last year, JD-U and Kumar expressed differences with the BJP on three issues- the caste-based Census, the Pegasus spyware scandal, and population control. The latest stand on UCC is another example of an uncomfortable relationship with the BJP. It is a different matter that Kumar has mastered the art of managing working relations to run the government with the BJP.

But the situation now has changed. The BJP, which has the upper hand in the coalition after it won 73 Assembly seats in the polls in 2020, has emerged as the single largest party after it allegedly engineered a split of its ally Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) last month with all three VIP MLAs joining the saffron clan. The BJP has fulfilled its long-awaited dream of becoming the single largest party in the state Assembly and is eyeing to replace Kumar with its leader to lead the government.

On the other hand, Kumar's JD-U has only 45 MLAs, and it is the third-largest party in the Assembly after the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Before the last assembly elections, JD-U used to have more MLAs than the BJP in the state Assembly. After BJP emerged as the big brother, the saffron party leaders behaved differently, and Kumar was forced to play second fiddle.

However, speculations have been running high for the last few days after Kumar surprised everyone when he visited the official residence of former CM Rabri Devi, wife of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, to attend an iftar party last Friday. After a gap of four and half years, Kumar was seen in the company of Yadav's family and smiling faces. Later he downplayed it, saying it was a social event with no politics.

But on Saturday, Kumar met Shah while receiving him at Patna airport in a closed room, and BJP leaders claimed all is well in the NDA in the state.

Shah was on a visit to attend the 164th death anniversary of Veer Kunwar Singh, one of the heroes of the First War of Independence in 1857, in Bhojpur district.

This political development has surfaced here, resulting in gossip that Kumar may take some sudden political decision based on his conscience, as he took twice or thrice in the past that surprised everyone. He may surprise once again due to increasing pressure from BJP to vacant CM post and move to Delhi as vice president, as widely reported in recent days.

It all depends on how comfortable Kumar is with BJP, an old ally, to play politics together.