MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the State Government will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) once the committee preparing the draft submits its report. Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis confirmed that the seven-member panel headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Ranjana Desai is working on the recommendations, and the Government aims to table the legislation during the winter session of the State Assembly in Nagpur. Fadnavis made the statement a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that BJPled NDA Governments in 21 States will introduce Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before 2029. The State Government had constituted the panel in July, giving it six months to submit its recommendations. Besides Retd Justice Desai, the committee comprises former High Court judges R C Chavan and S G Mehare, ex-chief secretary D K Jain, former advocate general Virendra Saraf, constitutional expert Ramesh Patange, and educationist Suvarna Rawal. “The Maharashtra Government has constituted a committee on UCC, and it is working on the matter. We will proceed with implementation as soon as the panel submits its report,” Fadnavis said.

 

The Chief Minister also launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the all-vegetarian dinner served at the BRICS Summit in Delhi, calling it a reflection of a “myopic mindset”. “BRICS was not organised for a dinner,” the Chief Minister remarked, asserting that a controversy was being generated over the menu intentionally to divert public attention from India’s diplomatic achievements. All countries agreed to the New Delhi Declaration and even China signed the policy statement, which spoke of terrorism and Pakistan. There cannot be a bigger diplomatic victory than this, he said. “The New Delhi Declaration was unanimous. China and Russia signed it. Some people get stomach ache because of India’s diplomatic victory, so they bring up issues like food and cultural programmes,” Fadnavis said. A day after an allvegetarian spread was served at a BRICS Summit gala dinner, the Congress on Sunday said the BJP is now imposing its “deeply problematic” dietary preferences on dignitaries. Gandhi, in a social media post, wrote, “For the record: 80% of Indians are non-vegetarian. Indian non-vegetarian food is delicious. As are my sister’s chhole bhature.”