Weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taunted AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, suggesting that if the Dhubri MP intends to remarry, he should do so prior to the polls or risk facing legal consequences. Sarma has affirmed that the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state post-elections will render polygamy illegal.
Ajmal, who is seeking re-election from the Dhubri constituency, recently stated, “People in the Congress and Rakibul Hussain said that I have become old. But I still have so much strength that I can get married. I can do so even if the chief minister doesn’t want me to, that’s how much strength I have.”
Addressing a rally, Sarma emphasized, “He (Badruddin Ajmal) should marry now. After the elections, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Assam. If he marries after that, he will be arrested.” Sarma further added, “If he (Mr Ajmal) invites us now, we will also go because it’s not illegal so far. As far as I know, he has one wife. He can marry two or three more, but we will stop polygamy right after the elections. The entire draft is ready.”
A Uniform Civil Code entails a unified set of laws applicable to all Indian citizens, irrespective of religion, concerning matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.
Sarma has consistently expressed his government’s intention to introduce legislation on a Uniform Civil Code, particularly following the passage of a UCC bill in the Uttarakhand Assembly last month.
Assam is scheduled to conduct its Lok Sabha polls in three phases on April 19, April 26, and May 7, with results expected on June 4.
