Modi Calls for an End to India’s Religion-Based Laws

(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again called for a replacement of India’s religion-based laws with a uniform civil code, a move that’s been opposed by some minority groups.

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“I want comprehensive discussion on the subject,” Modi said in his Independence Day speech in New Delhi on Thursday. “A secular civil code in the country is the need of the hour”

Currently, matters of marriage, divorce, adoption and inheritance are governed by multiple religious and customary laws. A uniform civil code will erase any independent religious practices in the implementation of these laws and bring them under one common umbrella — a move that critics have said is part of Modi’s majoritarian social push.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has included the implementation of a uniform civil code in its election manifestos for decades and campaigned aggressively on the subject in the latest elections. The party sees the current system as allowing non-Hindu communities — especially Muslims — to operate on their own terms.

The current civil code is in a way “communal” and “promotes discrimination. It divides the country along religious lines and promotes inequality,” Modi said.

Modi stopped short of announcing any measures that his government will take on the issue. In June, the BJP lost its parliamentary majority in the national elections after a decade and is currently governing using the support of regional allies. Their support will be essential if the government needs to roll out the controversial legislative measure.

The prime minister also reiterated the need to hold simultaneous state and national elections, saying the constant poll cycles are becoming an impediment to the nation’s progress.

During the almost 100-minute speech, Modi spoke about his government’s commitment to reforms and the ongoing revamp of the country’s infrastructure. He also addressed the middle class, assuring them that the government would ensure jobs.

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