UCC - Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio

 Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday said that Home Minister Amit Shah assured him that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would not be applicable for Scheduled Tribes (STs) of Nagaland and rest of the Northeast.

Got assurance tribals, Christians may get UCC exemption: Nagaland CM

ByAlice Yhoshü, Kohima

Jul 07, 2023 04:37 AM IST

The momentum around UCC has built up in recent months and weeks, with the law commission seeking feedback on the move.

Union home minister Amit Shah has assured a 12-member Nagaland government delegation led by chief minister Neiphiu Rio that the Centre is considering the exemption of Christians and some pockets of tribal areas from the scope of the proposed contentious Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the state government said in a release.

HT reached out the home ministry but did not get a response over the issue.

The delegation met Shah on Wednesday and apprised him on the apprehensions surrounding the proposal for a UCC and the serious repercussions it would have, especially in the context of Nagaland which is a Christian state and where the Article 371(A) of the Constitution guarantees religious practices . “Responding to this, he (Shah) in no uncertain terms assured the delegation that the Centre is actively considering for exemption of Christians and some tribal areas from the purview of the 22nd Law Commission’s exercise,” government spokesperson and minister KG Kenye stated in a release on Thursday. “This came as a great relief as it will avert major upheavals.”

UCC is perhaps the only major issue that has consistently been on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s manifesto that is yet to be implemented. The momentum around UCC has built up in recent months and weeks, with the law commission seeking feedback on the move, and to date receiving almost 2 million responses, and with a committee appointed by the Uttarakhand on UCC finalising a draft to be submitted to the state . Last week, the Prime Minister also spoke of UCC at a meeting with BJP workers in Bhopal. Since then, a raft of parties have opposed the move, and religious bodies and tribal groups have expressed concern over it.

Commenting on the ongoing Naga the peace talks, the delegation said it has put across to Central leaders that the protracted Naga political issue should be resolved and settled at the earliest as it has been dragging on for “an unreasonable period of time” .

With regard to the Centre’s proposal for formation of an autonomous council called the Frontier Naga Territory for six eastern districts of Nagaland in response to the demand for separate state by the Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organization (ENPO), the government spokesperson said it has been ascertained that negotiations are on the verge of conclusion and the stage for preparation of the concept is on the anvil.

“This period will outline the roadmap defining the ultimate status and structure of the new entity. It will hence forth be tripartite and include the state government for all purposes and at every stage in the approach to find a detail and final tripartite agreement,” Kenye stated.