Uniform Civil Code: The Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday witnessed chaotic scenes during the discussions over the controversial Uniform Civil Code draft bill, which was presented in the Assembly on Tuesday, seeking a uniform law for marriages, divorces, inheritance and adoption among others, for the all the communities in the state.
Today was the second day of the debate in the Uttarakhand Assembly, however, the discussions on the UCC were side-tracked after a Congress MLA raked up the Ram Mandir issue and remarked over the complexion of the Ram Lalla idol, consecrated in the Sanctum Sanctorum of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22. Following the remarks by Congress MLA, Adesh Singh Chauhan, the Uttarakhand Assembly echoed slogans by BJP members against the Congress leader.
The incident unfolded when Adesh Singh Chauhan, who represents the Jaspur seat in the Legislative Assembly, was speaking on the introduction of the UCC Bill in the Assembly and remarked on the complexion of the idol.
"The parliamentary work minister made several references to the temple. We welcome the construction of the temple too. But what I could not understand is that we had read in books that our Ram was 'saanvla' (dusky) but they made him 'kaala' (black)," Adesh Singh said, causing an uproar in the House.
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The remarks by Adesh Singh Chauhan didn't go down well with the treasury benches, with BJP lawmakers protesting against the Congress leader. The BJP leaders accused the Congress of doing divisive politics and questioned his remarks on Lord Ram. State Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal, seated next to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, accused Adesh Singh and the Congress of appeasement politics.
"He is making such remarks on Lord Rama. You do anything for votes but I request you not to say such things. Can the Congress only do appeasement and votebank politics?," Prem Chand Aggarwal said. The debate soon turned into a heated exchange between Adesh Singh and Prem Chand Aggarwal, with both leaders accusing each other. WATCH VIDEO.
About Ram Lalla Idol:
The idol of 'Ram Lalla' was carved out of black stone by Arun Yogiraj - a famed sculptor from Karnataka. The idol, which is 51 inches tall and weighs 1.5 tonnes, portrays Lord Ram as a five-year-old child standing on a lotus, also crafted from the same stone. The idol, which held a bow and arrow made of gold, was adorned with gold jewellery and other heavy diamond, emerald and ruby ornaments.
The idol of Ram Lalla was adorned in a yellow dhoti and a red pataka/angavastram in Banarasi fabric. The stone from which the idol has been carved is special black granite brought from Karnataka. HS Venkatesh, Director of the National Institute of Rock Mechanics, Bengaluru, has said the stone is 2.5 billion years old.