Shillong, January 30: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday asserted that the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is neither practical nor suitable for India, considering the country’s rich cultural and tribal diversity. He clarified that UCC, as a general concept, and UCC as a specific bill or act, should not be conflated.Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday expressed concerns over the practicality and appropriateness of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India. He argued that the country’s rich cultural and tribal diversity makes it difficult to enforce a uniform law across all communities. He emphasized the need to distinguish between UCC as a broad concept and its practical application through a specific bill or act.
“A Uniform Civil Code, as a concept of making sure that everything becomes uniform, is not possible in India. There are tribal and indigenous communities with unique practices that may not align with the uniformity. To impose uniformity on every aspect of life, across all communities, would not be correct,” Sangma stated.
However, the Chief Minister acknowledged that while full uniformity may not be feasible, certain aspects of civil laws could be standardized without compromising the rights of indigenous communities.
Citing Uttarakhand, which became the first state to implement the UCC while excluding tribal customs, Sangma said, “If a bill at the national or state level were to declare that the entire country should adopt a matrilineal system, Meghalaya would support that, because we are a matrilineal society. It all depends on the content of the bill—what aspects are being made uniform and in what way.”
Sangma further emphasized that Meghalaya has no intentions of implementing the UCC. “For us, as a state government, we are very clear: the Uniform Civil Code is not on our agenda. We respect the diverse identities of our tribal communities, and their traditional practices must be protected,” he concluded.
His remarks come amidst ongoing discussions on the UCC, with neighboring Assam expressing interest in following Uttarakhand’s example.