The Rajasthan Congress is exempted from public consultation on the UCC without publication of the proposal

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra said that the only objective of the Uniform Civil Code exercise is to deal a blow to social harmony in the state. | Photo Credit: Photo File

The opposition Congress in Rajasthan on Wednesday took exception to a series of public consultations on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) being organized by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state without releasing the draft legislation in the public domain. Rajasthan is the fifth BJP-ruled state to launch a drive to enact the UCC.

The state government has formed a high-level committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai to draft a legislative framework for the UCC. The state cabinet decided to bring the UCC Bill and gave its approval to appoint the committee in its meeting convened here on June 22.

Changes by law

Key changes under the UCC include mandatory registration of marriages and divorces, a complete ban on polygamy, mandatory registration of live-in relationships, and equal rights for sons and daughters in ancestral property. The BJP government has said it is determined to draft an “ideal and progressive” law that will be in tune with the state’s specific needs and social fabric.

While the Uttarakhand state government enacted the UCC Act in February 2024, Gujarat and Assam launched similar initiatives soon after. Madhya Pradesh has formed a similar committee for this purpose, while Rajasthan is the fifth to follow suit.

The committee is holding public consultations at the divisional level to ensure that the UCC Bill is “inclusive and transparent”. While the Jaipur interaction was scheduled on July 10 and 11, citizens in the state were also asked to submit their suggestions directly to the committee through a dedicated web portal.

“Avoidance of responsibility”

Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra said the public could not give any feedback without knowing what the proposed law contained. “Public hearings are being conducted without a proposal because the government wants to avoid responsibility on crucial issues,” Mr Dotasra said.

The state Congress chief said the exercise was only aimed at dealing a blow to social harmony in the state. He asked why the state government was not holding consultations on real problems like shortage of drinking water and electricity, increasing crime rate, deplorable condition of roads, farmers not getting seeds and fertilizers on time and deaths of pregnant women in hospitals.

Other Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully and Minorities Department Chairman MD Chopdar, said the full UCC Bill should be made public before the consultation process with full transparency.

“Distraction”

While Mr. Jully said the BJP government was raising the UCC issue to divert attention from development, law and order and other concerns of the public, Mr. Chopdar said party workers would protest on the streets if the UCC bill was passed in the State Assembly. He said BJP was targeting Muslims after the recent introduction of anti-conversion law.

The UCC implemented in BJP-ruled states kept tribal communities out of its ambit, leading to questions about selectively protecting only tribal autonomy and imposing regulations on others. After the UCC is enforced, personal laws regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and alimony will cease to exist.

Published – 9 Jul 2026 0:25 AM IST