Kiren Rijiju says UCC is not related to Arunachal and Tribal areas
Kiren Rijiju says UCC is not related to Arunachal and Tribal areas
Itanagar: Amid the ongoing debate over the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju has asserted that it will not apply to the tribal population.
“Talking to the media at a one-day farmers’ awareness program on self-reliant farmers, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “We don’t need to discuss the issue of UCC in Arunachal and tribal areas. If you have studied the constitution and rules or you have seen the provisions, you will know that uniform civil code does not apply in tribal areas.
Secondly, whatever laws are being made are for the betterment of the country. These laws are made according to the constitution.
In the constitution, if Arunachal Pradesh is a tribal state it does not apply because there is no such thing in the constitution. So, there is nothing to talk about.”
Meanwhile, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pema Khandu regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
As the apex body of the state, Team AAPSU strongly opposes the implementation of UCC Uniform Civil Code in our state.
In a memorandum to CM Khandu, the student body wrote, “AAPSU has no problem with the implementation of UCC in mainland India or other states except Arunachal Pradesh.
That, the tribal dominated state of Arunachal Pradesh is home to numerous tribes and sub-tribes. Each tribe and sub-tribe has its own specific customary laws which have been followed since the dawn of time.
Enactment of the UCC may eliminate existing customary practices regarding personal laws regarding marriage, property, inheritance, and succession, all of which have strong historical ties to the traditional ceremonies and practices of our tribal nations.”
The memorandum further stated that “the State of Arunachal Pradesh comes under Article 371 of the Constitution of India with regard to social order, customary laws and customary rights which should continue to the State of Arunachal Pradesh”.
