Haridwar: Saints and seers observed a one-day symbolic hunger strike at the Har ki Pauri here on Monday, demanding the enactment of a Uniform Civil Code by the Centre. They urged that the Centre prepare a UCC draft on the lines of the one prepared by a panel appointed by the Uttarakhand government and then implement it across the country. Swami Rupendra Prakash, Mahamandaleshwar of Shri Mahapanchayati Bada Udasin Akhara, said the UCC draft readied by the state government should be adopted as a model for the whole country. "We thank the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand for initiating steps to make this the first state in the country to implement a UCC. We also request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to do the same for the whole country soon," he said. Swami Yatindranand Giri, Mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara, said the saints and sages of Haridwar have given the message that there should be a sense of equal citizenship among people across the country. "There should be no discrimination and separatism. Implementation of a uniform civil code is necessary for upholding the culture and future of the country," Giri said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on June 30, had said the UCC would be soon be implemented in Uttarakhand after a committee set up by the state government announced a draft was ready. The Central government is considering bringing a Uniform Civil Code bill ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP and the opposition are at loggerheads with each other over the issue. —PTI
