New Delhi: In a new twist to the debate over the uniform personal law, the RSS has suggested that those who opt for their own personal law on the basis of religion should be allowed to do so but they should forego their right to vote in the election of state assemblies and to the Lok Sabha. In response to a questionnaire he received from the Law Commission of India, prominent ideologue of the RSS M.G Vaidya said that those who are against the uniform civil code (UCC), whether on the basis of religion or on grounds of deep-rooted customs of the so-called Adivasis, should be given a ''limited option.'' But the ''limited option'' can’t be an absolute option, he argued, saying that this should be only a ''qualified option.''
He proposed to the Law Commission that "those who are opposed to UCC may be given an option to not follow it. But in that case they will have to forego their right to vote in the elections to the state assemblies and Parliament." The RSS leader cited article 44 of the Constitution to support his idea which states the "Directive Principles of State Policy". The idea of granting "limited option" has been mooted by the RSS amid a hot debate on the issue of the UCC, which was fueled by the stand taken by the Centre in the Supreme Court against triple talaq. Senior Ministers, including Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have already made it clear that the Centre's stand on the issue of triple talaq should not be clubbed or confused with the debate on the UCC, an issue being separately dealt by the Law Commission of India.
"The government, instead of getting entangled in the intricacies of various modes of inheritance, should immediately introduce a bill to enact a common law of marriage and divorce. This law will solve the problem of “triple talaq” as well as address the discrimination against Christian women seeking divorce," Mr Vaidya said. Stressing that common civil law, like the common criminal law, does not infringe on any religion, he said that those who do not want to be governed by Article 44 will forfeit their right to vote in the elections to the state legislature and Parliament. No one shall be allowed to have a selective attitude about the Constitution. (UNI)