Tribals of Northeast, others outside UCC ambit: Kiren Rijiju

Kolkata: Tribals of the North Eastern states and other parts of the country will be outside the ambience of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday.

The decision comes in the wake of the government's urge to let them live their lives "freely" as per their systems.

Rijiju made this revelation while attending an event under the aegis of RSS-affiliate Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram here.

The minister added, "Some people create a bizarre atmosphere on social media these days and build a narrative against the Centre."

"Being a Union minister, I want to share the stand of our government. Our government and party (BJP) think about (bringing) a Uniform Civil Code in the country as per the Constitution. When criminal law is equal for all, why should the civil law also not be (equal for everyone)," he said.

Rijiju added that some states have already initiated work in this connection.

"We have clearly stated that we will exempt tribals from this. Let us give Adivasis the freedom to live in their own way. We will not implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in areas under Schedule 6, Schedule 5, the northeast, and other tribal regions of the country," the minister added.

The issue of UCC is currently under the study of the Law Commission.