UCC Bill passed in Assam, BJP calls it step towards gender justice, oppn cries foul

Guwahati: The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill through a voice vote, formulating a common legal framework that mandates monogamy, gender equality in property inheritance, and, for the first time, registration of live-in relationships without religious bias.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who moved the bill for passage, called the legislation — one of BJP’s key poll promises in the last assembly election — a major step toward gender justice.The bill, tabled in the House earlier this week, exempted tribal communities, citing their long-practiced customary laws.Following the Assam governor’s approval, the bill will be sent for the President’s assent, which is mandatory since the UCC deals with subjects on the Concurrent List. With this, Assam becomes the fourth state, after Goa, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat, to approve a common civil code.Legislators from both ruling and opposition benches debated the bill before CM Sarma delivered a marathon one-and-a-half-hour speech on its necessity.Amendment proposals from opposition MLAs were rejected, and speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass declined their demand to send the bill to a select committee for further deliberation.Opposition MLAs stormed the well of the House, shouting slogans, but the speaker asked Sarma — who also holds the home portfolio — to move the bill for passage.As the speaker announced the passage of the bill, BJP MLAs chanted “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shree Ram” slogans.Sarma termed it a watershed moment in Assam’s history, saying the bill fulfils three vital objectives: Article 44 of the Constitution, BJP’s founding ideals, and the party’s electoral promise.In the previous assembly, Sarma had announced that if BJP returned to power and he became the CM again, the UCC Bill would be introduced in the very first assembly session. True to his word, the bill was passed in the first session of the 16th Assembly after the NDA secured an overwhelming majority.“I am very happy to inform you that the Assam assembly has adopted the Uniform Civil Code, 2026. Assam will be the third state to adopt the UCC. This was one of our commitments in our election manifesto. We are delighted that we could adopt this historic bill in the first session of the Assam Assembly immediately after the election,” Sarma told media persons.Expressing gratitude to all members of the assembly, Sarma said once the bill receives the President’s assent, it will be implemented in Assam in “letter and spirit”.“Once we receive assent from Mahamahim Rashtrapati ji, there are six to seven rules that we must notify. Our rules are already prepared and ready. However, we cannot pass them until we get assent from Mahamahim Rashtrapati ji on the bill,” he said, adding that he expects the process to be completed within three to six months.While some opposition MLAs argued that it was not the right time to introduce the UCC amid inflation and rising fuel prices, Sarma countered that gas prices fluctuate, but one cannot restore a woman’s dignity and respect once it is lost. “There cannot be a better start to the five-year tenure,” he said.Congress Legislature Party leader Wazed Ali Choudhury said his party could not support the UCC, calling it contradictory to Shariat law. Other Congress MLAs, including Jakir Hussain Sikdar, sought a broader public discussion before its introduction. Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi alleged that the bill was brought forward merely to please BJP’s central leadership and RSS.