minister clarifies stance on uniform civil code for tribes

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-08-31 19:35:35 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-01 00:10:26

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Despite pushback from some quarters, Minister for Sports and Tribal Affairs Kiren Rijiju reiterated comments this week that India's tribal communities would be exempt from a future uniform civil code, in order to protect their way of life and unique customs.

Speaking at an event organised by the RSS-affiliated Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in New Delhi, Rijiju clarified the governments position on the UCC, saying that it was motivated by a desire to resolve disputes and facilitate marriages in a simple way, not to impose a particular culture on anyone.

The minister said that tribal communities would be exempt from the code, as afforded to them by the Constitution, and that the code would not be applicable to them. He also praised tribal communities for their strong adherence to family values, which, he said, often resulted in much lower divorce rates compared to the rest of the country.

"The government's move to bring a uniform civil code is being widely criticised, but there is no reason to fear. The government respects the way of life of tribal communities and will never interfere in their traditions," said Rijiju.

"We are not trying to impose anything on anyone. The UCC is meant to resolve disputes and facilitate marriages in a simple way. It will help in providing a more comprehensive and unified legal framework for governing conflicts between spouses and relatives," he concluded.

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