UCC in Punjab: Dual status in front of political parties, neither openly opposing nor supporting
If the Akali Dal decides to forge an alliance with the BJP, it will be a very difficult situation for it. Such a situation would give the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress an opportunity to attack him. Despite all this, it should come as no surprise if the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal come together once again.
The conditions are still not very clear regarding who will be affected by the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code and what will be its effects, but the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), Congress and The Aam Aadmi Party is either standing in opposition to it or refusing to give unconditional support. Despite having a different stand on the UCC, the Shiromani Akali Dal is eyeing a possible alliance with the BJP. The Aam Aadmi Party, on the other hand, changed its stand after initially announcing in-principle support for the Uniform Civil Code.
Last year SGPC took a resolution against UCC
SGPC, Shiromani Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party are not opposing Uniform Civil Code without any benefit. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took a resolution against the UCC in November last year after the BJP promised to implement it during the assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Akali Dal wants to avoid using strong words against BJP
Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has opposed it in principle and asked the need behind bringing it. However, the party has refrained from using strong words against the BJP and the RSS. The party is also using the UCC as a weapon to attack the Aam Aadmi Party.
AAP leaders live in Punjab on one side and nationally on the other.
The Aam Aadmi Party had initially spoken of supporting this law in principle. Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema said, “It is shocking to hear that the Aam Aadmi Party wants to vote in favor of the UCC in the Rajya Sabha, while Bhagwant Mann is fooling Punjabis by saying that the party is against it in the state.”
However, if the party decides to forge an alliance with the BJP, it will be a very difficult situation for the Akali Dal. Such a situation would give the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress an opportunity to attack him. Despite all this, it should come as no surprise if the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal come together once again.
The Aam Aadmi Party itself is in a situation where it has to adopt a dual approach. On the one hand, the sentiments of the Sikh community in Punjab have to be taken care of, on the other hand it does not want to show itself in a state of protest against the UCC at the national level. The announcement by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Sandeep Pathak, surprised many in the state that the Aam Aadmi Party is in principle in support of the UCC. However, the party realized that this would cost the party in Punjab. In such a situation, the party immediately retracted from its earlier stand.
