Maha Thumbs Up to News18 Mega Poll: Shows Public Support for UCC, Say CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy Devendra Fadnavis

Chief ministers to politicians and activists have welcomed India’s biggest survey on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) carried out by News18 Network for voicing the thoughts of Muslim women.

The UCC, in effect, means one law which would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance, among others. News18 Network interviewed 8,035 Muslim women across 25 states and Union Territories in the country, to understand what they think about the issues the UCC is likely to address, rather than the proposed bill as a whole. The seven key questions asked in this survey did not make any mention of the UCC and were strictly limited to the themes the UCC is likely to cover.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said: “I thank PM Modi for thinking about one law for the whole nation. India is respected globally, all because of policies and leadership of PM Modi. We support PM Modi and his policies as they are always for the benefit for our countrymen. The UCC will benefit all religions. The Maharashtra government supports and welcomes the UCC poll.”

Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told CNN-News18: “Network 18’s survey clearly shows that the common man is in support of the UCC. PM Narendra Modi knows what is best for his people and acts accordingly. All religions seem to welcome the UCC and this is of great importance to us. I hope this survey is an eye-opener for those politicians who are opposing UCC.”

Zakia Soman, social activist, congratulated CNN-News18 for conducting this poll. “It is very good that your network has given voice to Muslim women.”

Muslim organisations have been reacting strongly to the Centre’s recent announcement that the Law Commission would hold UCC consultations afresh, with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) saying the “majoritarian morality” should not override religious freedom and rights of minority communities in the name of a code. News18 Network decided to check if its views are indeed shared by the wider community, especially women, who would be most affected if the status quo were to continue.

The 8,035 respondents of the survey were limited to Muslim women across regions, communities, educational and marital status. The survey participants included women aged 18-65+. There was wide representation across the educational spectrum, from the illiterate to the post-graduate.