SAD demands clarity from AAP on Uniform Civil Code (UCC) stand
Chandigarh, July 4: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has called on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to request Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener Arvind Kejriwal to clarify the party's stance on the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The SAD emphasised the importance of ending the double speak within the AAP Central and Punjab units regarding this sensitive issue.
In a statement, SAD leaders expressed shock over the fact that while the AAP plans to vote in favour of the UCC in the Rajya Sabha, Bhagwant Mann is misleading the people of Punjab by stating that the party opposes it in the state. Dr Daljit Cheema, a spokesperson for the SAD, called for an end to this contradictory approach and highlighted that the AAP had previously employed the same tactic regarding the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.
Dr Cheema reminded the chief minister of the statement made by Sandeep Pathak, the party's Rajya Sabha member from Punjab, who expressed the party's support for the UCC in principle at the national level. This indicates that the party is preparing to vote in favour of the UCC when it comes up for approval in the Rajya Sabha. Dr Cheema asserted that the Punjab chief minister's opposition to the UCC holds no significance in this context.
Mann's remarks drew a sharp response from Shiromani Akali Dal, which had earlier targeted AAP on its support to the Uniform Civil Code. "The Punjab CM @BhagwantMann should now tell AAP Convener @ArvindKejriwal to clearly spell out (the) party's stand on UCC & end AAP's double speak on this sensitive issue. It is shocking that AAP wants to vote in favour of UCC in Rajya Sabha even as Bhagwant Mann is befooling Punjabis by asserting that party is against it in Punjab," Akali Dal leader Daljit S Cheema said in a video statement.
The Punjab CM @BhagwantMann should now tell AAP Convener @ArvindKejriwal to clearly spell out party ‘s stand on UCC & end AAP’s double speak on this sensitive issue. It is shocking that AAP wants to vote in favour of UCC in Rajya Sabha even as Bhagwant Mann is befooling Punjabis… pic.twitter.com/PKaTuEaus0 — Dr Daljit S Cheema (@drcheemasad) July 4, 2023
Dr Cheema further stated that if the chief minister is not attempting to deceive the people of Punjab, he should ask Arvind Kejriwal to instruct the party's Rajya Sabha member to retract his statement on the UCC and align with Bhagwant Mann's stance. Failure to do so will lead the people of Punjab to believe that the AAP is once again lying and deceiving them, just as they did regarding the SYL issue.
Mann's statement comes days after senior AAP leader Sandeep Pathak told the media that AAP supports Uniform Civil Code "in principle".
"In principle, we support a Uniform Civil Code. The Constitution's Article 44 also supports it. But since this issue concerns all religious communities, there should be wide-ranging consultations and efforts to build consensus," Pathak, AAP's national general secretary (organisation) and a Rajya Sabha MP, said last week.
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- With inputs from agencies
