Rift within NDA over implementation of UCC in Bihar

“We all supported UCC in Parliament but that time also our leader Nitish Kumar had clearly stated that it would not be implemented in Bihar. No doubt we all supported that Bill and till date, we are stuck with that stand,” Shyam Rajak said. File | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Rift has surfaced within National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar over the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a day after Union Home Amit Shah said that UCC will be implemented by 2029 in all 21 States where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and NDA are in power.Reacting to his statement, ruling Janata Dal-(United) MLA and former Minister Shyam Rajak on Monday (September 14, 2026) said that UCC will not be implemented in Bihar at any cost.“We all supported UCC in Parliament but that time also our leader Nitish Kumar had clearly stated that it would not be implemented in Bihar. No doubt we all supported that Bill and till date, we are stuck with that stand. However, UCC will never be implemented in Bihar,“ Mr. Rajak said while addressing to the media in Patna.When asked about Bihar having a BJP Chief Minister and it would not be any easy task to stop the UCC implementation, Mr. Rajak further said, “Yes, Bihar has BJP CM but we are running a government of alliance in which JD (U), Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) are partners. There is no independent government. There is no question of implementing UCC in Bihar at any cost.”Santosh Kumar Suman, national president of HAM (S) and Minister in the Samrat Choudhary government asserted that if Mr. Shah has said then there must be something good in UCC. “If there would be any issue over the implementation of UCC, then talks would be held with all the leaders of the alliance and they would be taken in confidence. If Home Minister has said, then there must be some good things in UCC. We will also talk to the Chief Minister, and if there is no problem then it would be implemented in Bihar as well,” Mr. Suman said.He added that there is no rift within the NDA and statement of one leader is not the statement of the entire party and those who are authorised can speak better.Bihar BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar Sharma said that the UCC embodies the spirit of Article 44 of the Constitution and addresses the issue of equal rights for women and it is not directed against any religion. He asserted that NDA-ruled States will implement it through discussion, suggestions, and consensus and Bihar will also be part of this process as there is time until 2029.Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alleged that BJP wants to target the people of a particular religion through UCC.“In this country, there are different religion and people follow different culture and tradition. We cannot talk about hatred against anyone. If there would be any attack on the people following Islam, then RJD will not sit quiet. RJD follows secularism and we will never allow to scatter it. UCC will not be implemented in Bihar at any cost, “ RJD spokesperson Shakti Yadav said.Union Minister and LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan also posted a message on X saying, “India’s social fabric is diverse. Every class has its own civic traditions and customs. The Constitution itself has acknowledged this - the Fifth-Sixth Schedule, Articles 371A and 371G, and the exemptions granted to Scheduled Tribes in every code so far are proof of this. My party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), is committed to both equality and diversity. Let the draft be made public, let there be an assessment of the interests of all stakeholders, let there be extensive discussions - thereafter, after review, the party will state its position.” Published - September 14, 2026 08:00 pm IST