Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced a major legislative agenda for the state, stating that his government intends to introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) within six months.
Addressing a programme in Kolkata organised to mark the birth centenary of former Vishwa Hindu Parishad president Ashok Singhal, Adhikari said West Bengal would follow the examples of Uttarakhand and Gujarat in moving towards implementation of the UCC.
The Chief Minister further said that, following the introduction of the UCC, his government would bring strict legislation against what he referred to as “love jihad” and “land jihad”, along with measures concerning religious conversion. These are proposed legal measures and have not yet been enacted.
Adhikari also stressed that the state government would operate within the framework of the Constitution, while promising protection for Indian culture, Sanatan traditions, temples, monasteries and heritage.
A high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has already been constituted to examine a draft UCC for West Bengal. The proposed framework is expected to address civil matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption across communities.
The announcement puts UCC and related legislation among the key policy issues likely to shape the political and legal debate in West Bengal in the coming months.
