Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the BJP is committed to bringing Uniform Civil Code (UCC) after all democratic debates and discussions are over.

When asked about UCC, Shah said it is the BJP’s promise to the people of this country, right from the Jan Sangh days.

“Not only BJP, but the Constituent Assembly had also advised Parliament and the states to bring UCC at an opportune time because, for any secular country, laws should not be on the basis of religion. If nation and state are secular, how can laws be based on religion? For every believer, there should be one law passed by Parliament or the state assemblies,” Shah said while speaking at the Times Now Summit.

He further said that this commitment of the Constituent Assembly was forgotten over time.

“Except the BJP, no other party is in favour of the UCC. In a democracy, healthy debate is a necessity. There is a need for an open and healthy debate on the issue,” Shah added.

The Home Minister further said that in three BJP-ruled states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Gujarat, a panel under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court and High Court chief justices has been constituted, where people of different faiths are voicing their views.

“We will take action on the basis of recommendations coming after this exercise. The BJP is committed to bringing UCC once all democratic discussions are over,” he added.

When asked about Kashmir, the Home Minister said Rs 56,000 crore of investment had flown and 80 lakh tourists, the highest since independence, visited Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.

Lowest incidents of terrorism since it began in the 1990s and zero stone pelting have been reported, which is one of the biggest achievements of this government and there are no two views about it, he further said.

“The roots of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir have grown deep, but the government is committed to eradicating it completely,” he added.