Assam CM stresses need to give justice to Muslim women; 'UCC will have to be brought’

Joining the chorus calling for the imposition of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the introduction of the legislation is necessary to give justice to all Muslim women. 

While speaking to the media during his visit to New Delhi, Sarma said, "Everybody wants UCC. No Muslim woman wants her husband to bring home 3 other wives. Ask any Muslim woman. UCC is not my issue, it is an issue for all Muslim women. If they are to be given justice, after the scrapping of Triple Talaq, UCC will have to be brought". 

The Chief Minister said that the indigenous Muslims want not to be mixed with migrant Muslims in Assam. 

He added that in Assam, the Muslim community is one religion but has two different sections in terms of culture and origin. One is indigenous to Assam which has no history of migration in the past 200 years. This section wants that they are not mixed with migrated Muslims and be given a separate identity, Biswa said. 

The Chief Minister further informed that the decision on the identity of the indigenous and the migrant Muslims in Assam will be taken by the state government. 

"Sub-committee was formed and presented the report. But it’s the sub committee’s report, the government hasn’t taken the decision yet. It’ll take the decision in the future who’s indigenous Muslim & who’s migrant Muslim. No opposition to this in Assam. They know the difference, it has to be given official form,” Sarma said.

Earlier, Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday said that to implement the Uniform Civil Code, the state government will constitute a committee.

About UCC

The Uniform Civil Code is a proposal in India to formulate and implement personal laws of citizens which apply to all citizens equally regardless of their religion, sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Currently, the religious scriptures govern the personal laws of various communities.

The code comes under Article 44 of the Constitution which lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India. It is to be noted, that BJP promised the implementation of UCC if it comes to power, in its 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto,

(With ANI input)

(Image: PTI)