The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Saturday said the implementation of Uniform Civil Code will hurt the distinct identity of minority communities in the country.
“There is no need for the UCC in the country as the Constitution recognises the principle of unity in diversity. There is an apprehension among the minorities regarding the UCC that it will hurt their unique identity and religious tenets,” said SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami.
Dhami said that the the apex gurdwara body has constituted a sub-committee of Sikh intellectuals, historians, scholars, and lawyers on UCC and it has, after an initial review, disapproved of the uniform code. This sub-committee includes SGPC general secretary Bhai Gurcharan Singh Grewal, senior Sikh lawyer Puran Singh Hundal, SGPC members Advocate Bhagwant Singh Sialka, Advocate Paramjit Kaur Landran, and Bibi Kiranjot Kaur, Prof Kashmir Singh, Dr Inderjit Singh Gogoani, Dr Paramveer Singh, and Dr Chamkaur Singh.
Dhami was speaking to the media after an executive committee meeting of the SGPC.
He went on to say: “Any challenge to bani bana (Gurbani and traditional Sikh attire), bol baale (words or thoughts which are sublime or supreme as well as high and true), principles, traditions, values, lifestyle, culture, independent existence and distinct entity of Sikhs can never be accepted and the Sikh Maryada (code of conduct) cannot be tested by the worldly law. Therefore, the Sikh community opposes the UCC.”
Muslim and Christian organizations, tribal communities, and opposition parties have voiced their opposition to the Uniform Civil Code, which is considered one of the key campaigns of the Hindutva party. Critics argue that its implementation could potentially infringe upon the religious freedom of minorities.
