"UCC is political agenda of BJP": APCC Working President Jakir Hussain Sikdar questions need for Uniform Civil Code in Assam

"We already asked why it is needed. The parties of Assam should have been consulted, which was not done. UCC is a political agenda of the BJP. How will it benefit the Assamese public?" Sikdar told ANI.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Working President Jakir Hussain Sikdar on Monday questioned the need for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), alleging that the move was part of the BJP's political agenda and adding that political parties in the state should have been consulted before the bill was introduced in the Assembly. "We already asked why it is needed. The parties of Assam should have been consulted, which was not done. UCC is a political agenda of the BJP. How will it benefit the Assamese public?" Sikdar told ANI.

He also criticised the repeated fuel price hikes, saying the burden on the public was increasing. "This happened again. What has happened in the country?. How will the people of the country survive? You (government) are not paying attention to it. What is the take of the CM of Assam in this?" he asked.

Congress MLA AK Rasheed Alam said the contents of the proposed legislation needed to be examined before any conclusion could be drawn. "We will have to see what provisions it has, whether it is needed or not, and what its merits and demerits are. We can only know this after the protests," Alam told ANI.

On fuel prices, Alam added, "Just look at how it will increase beyond what we can think." Meanwhile, BJP MLA Biswajit Daimary expressed confidence over the legislation.

"It has been introduced, and it should be passed in this session itself. After this, it will be implemented in the state," Daimary told ANI. The reactions came after the Assam government introduced "The Uniform Civil Code, Assam, Bill, 2026" in the Assembly on Monday, nearly two weeks after it was approved by the state Cabinet. Assam Parliamentary Affairs Minister Atul Bora tabled the Bill on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The Bill is expected to be taken up for discussion and passage on May 27. According to the state government, Scheduled Tribes (Hills), and Scheduled Tribes (Plain) will remain outside the purview of the UCC, with 'Traditional religious customs, practices and rituals' also being exempted.

Chief Minister Sarma had earlier said the legislation primarily addresses four areas -- minimum age of marriage, prohibition of polygamy, equal rights for daughters in parental property, and matters related to live-in relationships. If passed, Assam will become the third state in the country, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, to enact a UCC law. (ANI)