'Marry again' if you want before Lok Sabha poll or face UCC action: Assam CM Himanta Biswa to Badruddin Ajmal

GUWAHATI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has fired a shot across AIUDF supremo and Dhubri MP Badruddin Ajmal's bows, suggesting that if he is contemplating a second or third marriage, he should do so before the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections to avoid legal consequences under a uniform civil code (UCC).

The CM was reacting to Ajmal's recent response to comments by Congress's Dhubri candidate Rakibul Hussain, who referred to him as an "old tiger". Ajmal, who is in his 70s, responded: "I am not so old. I can marry again."


Sarma seized the opportunity to swipe at Ajmal, who had opposed UCC. The CM announced on Saturday that Assam plans to introduce UCC shortly after the polls, with a potential ban on polygamy, which could result in Ajmal's imprisonment if he marries again.



At another event, Sarma reiterated: "UCC will come into force in Assam soon after the elections...Till now, marrying again is not illegal in Assam. We will also attend his wedding if invited. So far as I know, he has one wife, but he can have a second or third wife now. Once UCC comes, polygamy will be outlawed in Assam. All the preparations are done."

In Feb this year, state cabinet approved the repeal of the British-era Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935, aiming to curb child marriage and pave the way for implementing UCC. Ajmal opposed the repeal, characterising it as a tactic to provoke Muslims and polarise voters in favour of BJP.




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