Uniform Civil Code in all NDA states before 2029 Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday announced that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in all NDA-ruled states before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, but said the government was still discussing the preparation of the National Register of Citizens with stakeholders.

Addressing the media in Mumbai, Shah said, "Our government abolished the triple talaq to ensure equal rights for Muslim women. We scrapped Article 370 without shedding a drop of blood and firing a bullet. Kashmir is an integral part of India… Some states have introduced a UCC.

It is our resolve to enforce the UCC in all 21 states ruled by the BJP-led before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls." About the National Register of Citizens (NRC) Act, Shah said, "The government is discussing with its alliance partners and various groups in Manipur." “In the last 12 years, the BJP-led NDA government pushed major reforms on many fronts, including social, economic, and criminal justice.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been effectively enforced. The rate of conviction recorded in one year is 30 per cent,” Shah said. “We have ruthlessly tackled Naxalism and adopted a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. Whether it was the surgical strike or Operation Sindoor, the government has shown grit and determination to fight enemies without compromise,” he added.

Commenting on the crackdown on illegal immigrants, Shah said, "As the home minister, I cannot divulge the details of action. All I can say is we will identify each and every individual who has illegally sneaked inside. We will nab and deport illegal Bangladeshi.

This much is for sure." Shah also said he would visit every state to publicise the government's anti-drug Nasha Mukt Abhiyan and expressed confidence that “India will succeed in eliminating this drug menace”. Shah also talked about the BJP’s month-long mass outreach campaign titled Seva Sankalp Abhiyan to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years in elected office.

It will begin on September 17, Modi’s birthday. “Twenty-five years in public service as CM and PM is an extraordinary feat, which Narendra Modi has achieved, giving India a distinct identity globally. Today, the world over, PM Narendra Modi's views are counted,” he said.

Earlier, Shah inaugurated a specially curated exhibition of manuscripts titled “Shri Ganesh Dnyanarati” at the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. "Knowledge cannot become a prisoner of any ideology. If you try to bind it in any form, you distort its very purpose.

Knowledge should be uninhibited," Shah said. The vast wealth of knowledge the Asiatic Library possesses should be used for the welfare of the country and world, the Union minister said. He added that despite foreign invasion, India could never remain enslaved because of its culture, archives, and languages.

During an awards function held at Bandra Kurla Complex, Shah said, "India should lead the lab-grown diamond sector in the world. The government is ready to provide all the policy support, complete with infrastructure and ecosystem." Shah said the government was planning to invest Rs 50,000 crore in the gems and jewellery industry, “which is rooted in tradition and culture".

He added that a new gem and jewellery bourse was being built at Jaipur in Rajasthan.