Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has set a six-month deadline for several of his government’s major promises, including the Uniform Civil Code and laws against “love jihad” and “land jihad”.
The UCC was also one of the BJP’s major promises in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election. The chif minister said 20,000 people would take part in a collective Hanuman Chalisa recital at Netaji Indoor Stadium in November. A mass Bhagavad Gita recital involving 10 lakh people is planned for December 29.
Speaking at an event in Kolkata on the occasion of the birth centenary of former Vishwa Hindu Parishad President Ashok Singhal, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government would work within the Constitution while protecting Indian culture, Sanatani traditions, temples, monasteries and the state’s heritage. The chief minister also promised stringent laws against “love jihad” and “land jihad” during the same period. He said the government would not permit “any anti-national activity” and urged people to stay united and alert to “divisive forces”. Adhikari had earlier said he would place the legislation before the Assembly after the committee completes its work. Adhikari said his government would protect temples, monasteries and traditions associated with leaders such as Swami Vivekananda and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Earlier reporting noted: The state’s BJP government, he said, will function in accordance with the Constitution but not tolerate attacks on Indian culture, traditions, and places of worship. Earlier reporting noted: “This government will not permit any anti-national activity here,” he added, appealing to the people to remain united and vigilant against “divisive forces.”
The UCC is at the drafting and review stage in the state. The government has set up a nine-member committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to examine the draft law. The committee includes former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, senior bureaucrats, a retired IAS officer, an educationist, a social activist and a Calcutta High Court lawyer. The proposed law is intended to bring common civil rules for people from different communities in areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption. The announcements place cultural and religious issues along with the UCC in the BJP government’s early legislative programme. Religious events also feature prominently in the government’s upcoming programme. However, it will not allow any attack on Indian culture, Sanatani traditions, temples and monasteries, or the heritage championed by spiritual luminaries like Swami Vivekananda and Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya,” he added.
The panel is expected to seek public views and hold hearings across different parts of the state before the draft moves ahead. Earlier reporting noted: “Rest assured that the government will function in accordance with the Constitution.
