Assam Congress demands wider consultation before introduction of UCC Bill, calls it BJP's 'political agenda'

The proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill introduced in the Assam Assembly on Monday, May 25 triggered sharp political reactions, with the opposition Congress questioning both the necessity of the legislation and the manner in which it was brought before the House.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Working President Jakir Hussain Sikdar alleged that the move was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s political agenda and said political parties in the state should have been consulted before the bill was introduced.

“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 recurring increase in fuel prices, stating that the financial burden on the public continued to grow. Questioning the state government’s response, Sikdar asked what stand the Assam Chief Minister had taken on the issue.

Congress MLA AK Rasheed Alam said the contents of the proposed legislation would need to be examined before drawing conclusions on its impact.

“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 proposals,” Alam told ANI.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Biswajit Daimary expressed confidence that the legislation would be cleared during the ongoing Assembly session.

“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.