The four-day special session of the Uttarakhand assembly, aimed at passing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), commenced on Monday with tributes to legislators who passed away since the last session of the House. The state cabinet approved the UCC draft on Sunday, paving the way for the government to introduce the bill in the House on Tuesday.
During the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting convened to discuss the day’s agenda, the BJP expressed support for presenting the UCC bill and another bill proposing 10% horizontal reservation for statehood agitators and their dependents. These bills were presented as the sole items on the day’s agenda.
In protest, leader of opposition Yashpal Arya and six-time Congress MLA Pritam Singh resigned from the BAC, citing the continuation of the winter session and the need to follow procedural guidelines. Singh explained that the absence of the Question Hour and Work Adjournment Motion, despite an earlier indication, led to their resignation. Arya and Singh later met the governor, Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd), to voice their concerns.
The Congress also demanded access to the UCC bill for a thorough discussion in the House and requested an extension of the session to allow for adequate deliberation on the matter. Arya emphasized the challenge of comprehending and preparing points on a 740-page document in a short time frame.
Assembly speaker Ritu Bhushan Khanduri acknowledged the reservations expressed by Congress members in the BAC.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged opposition MLAs to participate constructively in the discussion and share their perspectives.
Earlier in the day, the assembly paid homage to Sarvat Kareem Ansari and other late legislators.
