Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister and leader of
the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), said Friday he wants the implementation of a Uniform
Civil Code (UCC). Kejriwal made the statement while campaigning for the
upcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat, the state where Narendra Modi was chief
minister before becoming Prime Minister of India in 2014.

The AAP supremo slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP), the party in power in the Gujarat Assembly, saying it keeps making the
promise of implementing a Uniform Civil Code before the elections but does not fulfil
it. Kejriwal mentioned that the BJP had formed a committee to work on the
Uniform Civil Code after the Uttarakhand elections, but did not implement it.

Also Read | Explained: Why BJP wants a Uniform Civil Code

“They formed a committee after winning the Uttarakhand
elections, but then they went back home,” Kejriwal said, adding that the BJP
has formed a new committee which will also “go back home” once the elections
are over.

The former IRS officer said a Uniform Civil Code must
be made because Article 44 of the Constitution clearly states that it is the
responsibility of the government to do so, but it should be done with the
consent and in consultation with all communities.

Also Read | What is Uniform Civil Code?

He further asked why the BJP was not implementing the
Uniform Civil Code in states where it is in power, such as Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh. “Why not implement it across the country. Are they waiting for
the Lok Sabha elections?” Kejriwal asked.

The implementation of a Uniform Civil Code is more a
domain of the Centre than states.

On Saturday, the BJP said it planned to introduce a
Uniform Civil Code. Such a code will mean the end of laws governed by religion,
a contentious issue for Muslims, a section of whom swear by Islamic law.

Also Read | Can one state implement Uniform Civil Code?

Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said, “Under the
leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah,
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has taken a historic decision in the Cabinet
meeting today – of forming a committee for implementing the Uniform Civil Code
in the state.”