Not against UCC, but don't endorse the way BJP seeks to implement it: Mayawati

The BSP chief cautioned the BJP against trying to 'forcibly impose the UCC' and decried the party's attempt to 'politicise' the issue.

BSP supremo Mayawati addresses a press conference in Lucknow, Sunday. Credit: PTI Photo

After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), BSP supremo Mayawati also offered conditional support to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) saying that it would 'strengthen' the country but favoured consensus while making it clear that it should not be ''forcibly imposed''.

In a statement here on Sunday, Mayawati said that India was home to people of diverse religion and culture and that they followed different traditions. ''A uniform law for everyone will certainly strengthen the country, not weaken it,'' she said.

She, however, cautioned the BJP-led centre against trying to ''forcibly impose'' the UCC and decried what she said was BJP's attempt to 'politicise' the issue. ''The Constitution also talks of a uniform civil code but efforts should be made to evolve a consensus on the issue,'' she added.

Also Read | Congress says Uniform Civil Code undesirable at this stage

''We support the USS but not the way the BJP is trying to implement it...BJP is indulging in petty politics,'' Mayawati said.

Earlier the AAP had said that the party supported the UCC but it had also called for consultation with the religious and political leaders to arrive at a consensus before implementing it.

The SBSP, which had earlier allied with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, also supported the UCC saying that it was in the interest of the country.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), an apex body of the Muslims in the country, had already voiced its strong opposition to the UCC and said that it was 'against' the spirit of the Constitution and that the issue had been deliberately raised in the view of the forthcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and some other states.

Also Read | Uniform Civil Code: One nation, one law...and many worries

Prime minister Narendra Modi had, while addressing the BJP workers recently, said that there could not be two laws in the country and that the anti-BJP parties had created misunderstanding among the Muslims on this issue.

Modi's remarks prompted strong reactions from the opposition parties, which said that the PM should first speak on the rising prices, unemployment and the violence in Manipur.