New Delhi: Government has no "hidden agenda" of imposing uniform civil code or behind the opposition to the triple talaq among Muslims, says Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad rejecting allegations by religious bodies and opposition parties as completely baseless.
He also asserts that while India respects freedom of religion and faith, "unreasonable or discriminatory" practices cannot be held integral to it and protected.
"This whole apprehension that we are bringing uniform civil code or it is an agenda is completely baseless. The two need not be linked at all. The Law Commission is examining it and let there be a widest consultation possible by all the stakeholders," Prasad told PTI in an interview.
He said the people opposing the common civil code should tell so to the law panel which has sought public opinion on the subject.
"Say your opposition also. But the government presently has nothing to say. Let the Law Commission take a view. The entire argument of any hidden agenda is something which I deny with all the authority at my command," he said.
Prasad cited the practice of "untouchability" to assert that religious practices need to be in accord with constitutional values and emphasised that "gender justice, gender equality and gender dignity" were at the core of the Narendra Modi government's priority.
"... We respect freedom of religion and freedom of faith which are protected by the fundamental rights. But every unreasonable or discriminatory practice cannot be held integral to faith....
"For instance, can anyone claim that untouchability against Dalits flows from my faith and I can practice it. Therefore, religious practices also need to be in accord with the constitutional values," he said.
The government had on October 7 opposed in the Supreme Court the practice of triple talaq among Muslims, maintaining that it cannot be regarded as an essential part of religion.
Responding to questions on the issue of triple talaq, the senior BJP leader said a set of women cannot lose their rights for being from a particular religion.
"Can in a secular country like India a big chunk of women be forced to live in a state of vulnerability only on the ground that they belong to a particular religion?" he questioned.
Noting that gender equality stands embedded right from the day the Constitution came into existence, the minister said development and empowerment of women were also among government's priorities.
