Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday urged the youths to step forward and counter the "lies" being spread about the Uniform Civil Code of Uttarakhand Act, which he termed a "constitutional tool" to wipe off caste, religion and gender-based discriminations.
He sought to defend the mandatory registration of live-in relationships under the code, against which multiple court challenges have been registered, saying the concept is a contemporary reality and not part of the age-old Indian culture.
This provision for live-in couples is only meant to provide them safety, the chief minister said and cited the 2022 brutal murder of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in partner in Delhi as an example of ugly turns such alliances can take.
Addressing a workshop on the UCC Act at the Dev Sanskriti Vishwa Vidyalaya in Haridwar, Dhami said implementing the law that aims for uniformity in society while ensuring equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens had been the BJP's ideological commitment since the days of the Jan Sangh.
"It is a necessary reform that will benefit the entire society. It is not against any religion or sect and does not target anyone." He said the law safeguards the property inheritance rights of women and also protects the rights of children born out of live-in relationships on their father's property.
It empowers women by putting an end to evil practices like 'halala', 'iddat', polygamy and child marriage, Dhami said.
"But some people are spreading all sorts of lies, one of which is that registration on the UCC website will help outsiders get domicile certificates. It is an absolute lie, there is no such provision in the law," he asserted.
Dhami urged the youths in attendance at the workshop at the Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, a private university, to support the government in busting the "wrong notions" being spread about the law.
"Just like the Ganga that originates in Uttarakhand and gives life to the country, all of India will benefit from the Gangotri of UCC which has sprung in this state," the chief minister said.
Uttarakhand implemented the UCC Act on January 27, becoming the first state in the country to do so.
The UCC has been on the BJP's agenda nationally for many years. But the party's government in Uttarakhand became the first to take a concrete step towards implementing it just before the Lok Sabha elections last year. Now, the UCC Act of Uttarakhand might serve as a template for other BJP-run states to enact similar legislation.
Uttarakhand Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said seminars on the the law will be held in all the universities of the state with a target of informing 5 lakh students about the benefits of it in three months.