Historian Romila Thapar says secularism starts with uniform civil code

Eminent historian Romila Thapar said that in order to secularise India, a uniform civil code needs to be considered that would ensure equal rights to all the citizens without any exceptions.

She further said, "Religion impinges on every human rights in the civil law — whether its birth, death, marriage, divorce, — the religions have laws on all of these."

She also said, " And its not just about the Muslim personal law like everybody thinks. I am talking about khap panchayats and all the socio-legal inequalities that every religion carries. Decide what are the kind civil laws you would like to see removed? Sit down with the Khap Panchayats in Haryana and say that your powers are to be cut. Start a discussion there," The Hindu reported.

Thapar was speaking at a public lecture which was organised by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism at KC College, Mumbai. She also said that the Indian polity has not yet familiarised itself with the idea of secularism. 

Thapar said, "No one has really questioned this idea. We have just accepted secularism as a value but have not asked ourselves what it means to be secular as a society. We have just gone on mouthing slogans. Good slogans and bad slogans. But we haven’t yet started discussing what happens when a society has to be secularised."