New Delhi: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttarakhand faces resistance from civil society over the rollout of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), the state’s Congress unit has launched a two-month-long agitation and public referendum programme on the acceptability of live-in relationships.
The Congress accuses the BJP-led state government of legitimising live-in relationships, which it says are against the social ethos. The party also alleges a conspiracy by the BJP government to increase the number of outsider voters in the state by welcoming live-in couples and granting them residency for political gains.
The Congress in Uttarakhand staged a protest and gheraoed the state Assembly Thursday against a provision on live-in relationships in the UCC.
“Live-in relationships are against our cultural ethos. We are against live-in relationships. Which family in our society would allow their children to be in a live-in relationship?” said state Congress president Karan Mahara ThePrint.
“The Uttarakhand UCC has validated live-in relationships and made them acceptable. This will destroy our society. They say they have consulted 2 lakh people before framing the law. We are asking the government to provide a list so that we can also cross-check whether people are happy with allowing live-in relationships. But the government is not providing any data to us. So, we have decided to approach people to get their view on live-in relationships,” he added.
The Uttarakhand government implemented the UCC on 27 January in a bid to regulate live-in relationships through a compulsory registration process.
The mandatory registration of live-in relationships has become a contentious issue and has been challenged in court on the grounds that it violates individual privacy.
The move sparked controversy over a 16-page form and the requirement for a certificate from a religious leader saying the couple is eligible to marry.
While the government has clarified that the purpose of registration is only to protect the rights of women, civil society members have raised concerns over the privacy of couples.
A 19 February observation by Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice G. Narendar questioning the concept of secrecy in such relationships stoked the controversy.
Justice Narendar was responding to a petition challenging the requirement to register such relationships through Aadhaar and provide proof of past relationships.
“What is secrecy? You are both living together, your neighbours know, society knows and the world knows. Are you secretly living in some secluded cave? You are living in civil society brazenly cohabiting without marriage. So what privacy is being violated?” he had asked.
As part of its referendum, the Congress party has issued a form with 15 questions that party workers will ask in a bid to evaluate public opinion.
The survey aims to assess people’s awareness of live-in relationships and whether they approve of granting legal recognition to such relationships.
“All data will be sent to the Congress headquarters to analyse how people are concerned after the implementation of UCC in the state, particularly live-in relationships,” former minister Yashpal Arya told ThePrint.
“There is growing anger in society which we want to collect through the survey,” he added.
However, BJP Uttarakhand General Secretary Rajendra Bisht has dismissed this.
“The state government is neither promoting nor discouraging any relationship. It is only providing security and empowering women by registering such relationships,” Bisht told ThePrint. “In other states, heinous crimes have taken place because there was no process to provide safety to women in live-in relationships. A timely alert can save women in such relationships. And if a woman breaks up in such a relationship, rules have been framed so she can get equal compensation like marriages. What is the harm in it? It’s forward-looking legislation.”
Also read: ‘Civil partnership’ in UK, ‘cohabitation’ in France — how other countries view live-in relationships
UCC live-in will promote polygamy
Uttarakhand Congress leaders argue that several provisions about live-in relationships in the UCC will promote polygamy in society and destroy the state’s family values.
“If any couple wants to break their relationship, they will get a certificate within 15 days of their break-up. After the break-up, they can go for another relationship without marriage,” Mahara said.
“Ultimately, it will promote polygamy of live-in with several women without getting into marriage. In divorce, it takes time but in a live-in break-up, they can be separated only in 15 days. We object to this clause,” he added.
Another objection raised by the Congress party is the lack of clarity on the rights of children born to couples whose live-in relationship registration is rejected or couples who break up.
“What will happen to the child and how will their rights be protected? There are several such anomalies in the UCC. It looks like the BJP government is promoting live-in relationships in Uttarakhand which will be opposed tooth and nail,” said Mahara.
Way to increase voter turnout
The Congress party in Uttarakhand alleges a conspiracy by the BJP government to increase the number of voters by allowing outsider live-in couples in the state to sway elections.
“On the one hand, the government is bringing a stricter law against land purchases by outsiders to protect the interests of the original inhabitants of Uttarakhand. On the other hand, it is allowing outsiders to get residency in the state through live-in registration,” the Congress president told ThePrint.
“Whether the BJP wants to enhance the voter count by allowing outsiders to get residency will be the issue asked during the referendum. Will the people allow live-in couples to stay in Uttarakhand and become voters of the state which has a closed society?”
The Congress party recently alleged malpractice in Maharashtra’s voter list and raised questions about discrepancies in voter registrations.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioned how 7,000 voters were registered at a single address and the huge increase in the number of voters between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The Congress party has demanded that the Election Commission provide the entire voter list and turnout data to verify the actual number of voters in Maharashtra.
Several political parties have announced plans to hold protests against what they say is the BJP government’s effort to give legitimacy to live-in relationships.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
Also read: Uttarakhand UCC will make it easier for live-in couples to find houses: Implementation panel chief
