Bhopal, July 21 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Assembly witnessed fiery exchanges and repeated disruptions on Tuesday as the contentious Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 took centre stage during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
Congress MLAs staged a vociferous protest right from the start, demanding that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee and that the government immediately implement 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
As minister Gautam Tetwal moved a motion to discuss the Madhya Pradesh Uniform Civil Code Bill 2026 and BJP MLA Sitaram Sharma started to address the House on the Bill, Congress members responded by raising slogans and insisting that OBC reservations be discussed alongside the Bill.
Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya raised a point of order, asserting that only the member with the floor should be recorded.
Sita Sharan Sharma criticised the Congress for claiming to uphold the Constitution while defying Supreme Court directives.
BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma then intervened with the slogan, “BJP stands in support of tribal honour,” which prompted counter-slogans from the Opposition Benches.
Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar argued that granting 27 per cent reservation to OBCs was far more important than the UCC and accused the BJP of neglecting backward classes.
Rameshwar Sharma hit back, alleging that Congress was attempting to appease the Muslim community. Amid the escalating uproar, Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar urged members to maintain decorum and engage in constructive debate, describing the UCC as a historic Bill.
Congress MLA Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat suggested that the UCC should first be implemented in Delhi and passed by the Lok Sabha.
Congress members continued raising slogans against what they called an “anti-OBC government.” Minister Rakesh Singh challenged the Opposition to clearly articulate their objections. The atmosphere grew even more charged when BJP MLA Jagdish Devda shouted “Jai Shri Ram.”
Minister Prahlad Patel questioned whether the Congress intended to alienate tribals from their culture, pointing out that tribals had been exempted from the Bill precisely to protect their unique traditions.
Congress MLA Arif Masood proposed an amendment and highlighted several inconsistencies in the legislation, including its approach to polygamy and the shift of marital disputes to the criminal domain.
He demanded exemptions for Muslims under Article 29, similar to those provided for tribals and Scheduled Castes.
In defence, Kailash Vijayvargiya emphasised that the Bill reflected public opinion gathered from over one million people and advanced the vision of ‘One Nation, One Law.’
Arif Masood countered that the consultation data was inadequate and accused the Bill of targeting a specific community.
Umang Singhar raised a point of order, noting that members had not received Bill copies two days in advance as per rules.
As tempers flared, Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar adjourned the House twice — once for 15 minutes and later for 10 minutes. With the sharp divide between the ruling BJP and the Congress Opposition over the UCC and OBC reservations, debate on the UCC Bill continued.
–IANS
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