Members of the ruling NDA in the Assam Assembly on Wednesday defended the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, asserting that the legislation is aimed at safeguarding women’s rights and ensuring equality, and is not targeted against any religion or religious practice.
Participating in a discussion on the Bill on the final day of the first session of the new Assembly, NDA legislators described the proposed law as a “historic” initiative and highlighted that tribal communities in the state had been kept outside its ambit to preserve their traditional customs and laws.
The Assam government had tabled the UCC Bill on Monday, proposing a ban on polygamy and making registration of live-in relationships compulsory. The Bill exempts Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam from its provisions.
The proposed legislation also prescribes punitive measures, including imprisonment of up to seven years for bigamy or polygamy and up to three months’ jail for failure to register a live-in relationship.
BJP MLA and former minister Pijush Hazarika appealed for support to the Bill from all sections of society and maintained that it was “not against any religion or religious practice”.
Questioning the practice of allowing men from a particular community to marry multiple times without the consent of previous wives, Hazarika said such practices violated the principle of equality.
“If we speak of equality of all religions, then these men of this section should be jailed,” he said, without naming any religion.
Attacking the Congress for opposing the Bill, Hazarika alleged that the party was denying equal rights and dignity to women.
He further clarified that the proposed legislation did not prohibit live-in relationships but only sought mandatory registration of such arrangements.
Also read: Assam tables UCC Bill, seeks ban on polygamy
Displaying a red-covered copy of the Constitution, often carried by Congress leaders during protests, Hazarika accused the opposition party of misrepresenting constitutional provisions.
“The Congress and Rahul Gandhi went on shouting that the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi destroyed the Constitution. But they don't even know what is inside it,” he said.
He also claimed that the Congress opposed measures against cow slaughter despite constitutional provisions discouraging it.
Calling the legislation a “historic” measure, Hazarika urged all members to support the Bill.
BJP legislator Diplu Ranjan Sharma said introduction of the Bill reflected the NDA government’s commitment to fulfilling its promises.
Asom Gana Parishad MLA Prithiraj Rava argued that the proposed UCC would help address concerns over changing demographic patterns in Assam.
“Marrying more than once is not the main problem. The issue is several children from multiple marriages, which is leading to a population explosion and a change in demographic pattern,” he said.
Rava added that the government remained committed to implementing the UCC as it would “benefit and protect our women”.
Supporting the Bill, Bodoland People’s Front MLA Rabiram Narzary said the traditional laws and customs of tribal communities had been safeguarded through exemptions provided in the legislation.
“For strengthening the unity and integrity of our country, such a law is a necessary step,” he said.
Narzary, however, sought clarity regarding the legal status of divorced tribal women married to non-tribals and urged the government to ensure that protections available to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under existing laws remain unaffected after implementation of the UCC.
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