Shah said talks with allies are underway on a nationwide NRC and on whether 1951 should be the baseline for the exercise in Manipur.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the governments in 21 states ruled by the BJP-led NDA will introduce a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before the next parliamentary elections in 2029. He added that discussions were underway with allies regarding the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country, saying that they would “identify and flush out every single illegal infiltrator from India”.
Shah made the announcement while detailing the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, a month-long nationwide mass-outreach campaign organised by the BJP and its state governments to commemorate Narendra Modi’s 25 years in power, first as Gujarat CM and then as PM.
“We introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in several states. I am confident that we will implement the UCC in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before 2029…Operations such as the surgical strikes, air strikes, and Operation Sindoor have established a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, while security has been prioritised across various sectors,” Shah said.
Four states have passed UCC legislation so far
Four BJP-ruled states have so far passed the UCC legislation. Uttarakhand became the first state to enact a UCC law in February 2024 and implement it from January 2025, while Gujarat, Assam and Madhya Pradesh are awaiting presidential assent and notification. Maharashtra, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh have constituted committees to draft a UCC legislation.
UCC is part of a troika of core goals of the BJP, in addition to the Ram Temple and the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir. The party has already achieved the Ram Temple and Article 370 abrogation goals. Article 44 of the Constitution, one of the directive principles of state policy, urges the state to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens. But personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption continued to be governed by religion-specific personal laws since Independence, till Uttarakhand enacted UCC in February 2024.
Centre discusses nationwide NRC with allies
Shah said that discussions were underway with the allies on the possibility of implementing the NRC exercise across the country. He also said the government was discussing whether the year 1951 should be used as the baseline for the NRC in Manipur. “We are discussing this with our allies and the political parties in Manipur. Once we reach a conclusion, it will be shared publicly,” he said.
Speaking on Articles 370 and 35A, Shah claimed the BJP government had abrogated them without “a single drop of blood” being shed or a bullet being fired, and said that Kashmir was “now fully integrated with India”. He also claimed that the BJP government had brought an end to five decades of Naxalism. “More than 9,000 people have surrendered and today we have taken the North-East on the path of development by signing more than 14 peace agreements in the region,” he said.
