Guwahati/Dehradun: As Uttarakhand moves to introduce a Uniform Civil Code as a test case before it is implemented across the country, Assam too is likely to enact a law to ban polygamy allegedly prevalent among minorities residing in Char area of the state.
The assembly session in Uttarakhand, the northern state with 14.07 lakh (13.95 percent) Muslim population, witnessed Opposition Congress MLAs walking out of a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee on Monday to protest against its decision to waive the Question Hour in the special assembly session to table a bill on the UCC.
Assam, which accounts for 1.07 crore (34.22 percent) population of minorities, appears to be bracing for protests over Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government's emphasis on the UCC and polygamy ban in the state. Such moves have seen objections from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by the party president Badruddin Ajmal.
BJP has been making the Uniform Civil Code a part of political discourse with Prime Minister Narendra Modi often raising pitches for the UCC, which has been part of BJP's stand for a long. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami-led Uttarakhand Cabinet on Sunday passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill on the recommendations made by a high-level government-appointed committee. Once implemented, Uttarakhand will become the first state in the country after Independence to adopt the UCC, which has been operational in Goa since the days of the Portugese rule.
The bill, aimed at bringing uniformity in civil laws, will now be tabled in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also stressed that the UCC may be implemented in Assam soon after the bill is enacted in Uttarakhand. Sarma on Friday said his government is closely monitoring the Uttrakhand UCC report and will take its decision on banning polygamy in the state in the budget session, which got underway on Monday.
"We are lining up the Assam Polygamy Ban Act. We are also closely monitoring the development of Uttarakhand. If the Uttarakhand UCC bill is laid in the state assembly on February 5, then can we be in the position to implement the entire UCC, we will see that also. Our assembly is on February 12 and we have some time," the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
Days after Assam CM's comment, AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam, took a dig at the BJP-led Centre, saying that the BJP does not dare to implement UCC in the entire.
Meanwhile, an expert committee in Assam submitted its report on banning polygamy to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to enact a law to end Polygamy. Advocate Nekibur Zaman, a member of the expert committee, said, "CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had constituted an expert committee to examine the legislative competence of the State Legislature to enact a law to end polygamy. We've prepared our report and submitted the report to CM."
The bill is likely to be introduced during the budget session of the Assam Assembly which will continue till February 28. This is more likely to become an Act because the ruling party has adequate votes in the House.
"If this polygamy ban bill becomes law, the Himanta Biswa Sharma government will be tough against polygamy. Sharma had already announced six months ago that he would ban polygamy in Assam," Zaman said.
Giving details about the government's move, he said the Assam government constituted the expert committee under the chairmanship of Justice Rumi Phukan. "Polygamy is legally prohibited in various religions. In Hinduism, one cannot remarry without divorce. There are many rules about remarriage. In Islam, there are laws against remarriage. In the case of Muslim minorities, polygamy is more common among migrant Muslims, especially in the Char areas of Assam. However, polygamy is very rare among Assamese-speaking indigenous Muslims. In the char areas, it is more common for a person to marry several women. There are many examples of such incidents. Many women's lives have become difficult in this regard.” Zaman added.
He also pointed out that polygamy is responsible for uncontrolled population growth and added that the practice is making women's lives insecure. "The Assam government realises the fact that the state needs a strong law to stop polygamy. This law will ensure the safety of Muslim women in particular,” he added.
According to the senior advocate, a law on the ban on polygamy is very relevant. "If this law is passed, the government will prepare certain rules. All women have the support of this bill. If this bill becomes law, it will have a positive impact on the social life of Assam," Zaman said.
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