‘The nation will not function if there are separate laws for Hindus and Muslims’: Giriraj Singh bats for UCC
Giriraj Singh hailed the Assam government’s decision to repeal the Islamic Marriage and Divorce Act, and the recent implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand, stating that separate laws for Hindus and Muslims will not be possible.
New Delhi: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday advocated the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and asserted that the nation will not function properly if there are different laws for Muslims and Hindus.
Singh hailed the Assam government’s decision to repeal the Islamic Marriage and Divorce Act, and the recent implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand, stating that separate laws for Hindus and Muslims will not be possible as the country would in such a case will no longer function properly.
“Uttarakhand has introduced the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), now in Assam, if one law is followed by all then it will be helpful. Different laws for Hindus and Muslims will not be possible and that way the country will not function properly,” Giriraj Singh told reporters in Begusarai in Bihar.
Assam repeals Islamic marriage law
Earlier in the day, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government announced that the state will repeal the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935, which regulates marriages and divorces among Muslims in the BJP-ruled state.
“On February 23, 2024, the Assam Cabinet took a major decision to repeal the age-old Assam Muslim Marriage” Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. This law contained provisions that allowed marriage registration even if the bride and groom had not yet reached the legal ages of 18 and 21, as required by law. This move marks another important step towards banning child marriage in Assam,” Prime Minister Sarma said in a post on
‘Tactics to target Muslims’
Meanwhile, in a sharp reaction to the development, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has sharply criticized the Assam government’s decision to repeal the pre-independence law, terming it a “tactic to target Muslims”.
Speaking to news agency ANI, AIUDF leader Rafiqul Islam said the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government does not have the “courage” to implement the Uniform Civil Code, thus repealing the Marriage Act.
“This government does not have the courage to introduce UCC. They can’t do it. What they brought into Uttarakhand is not UCC either. They also tried to bring UCC to Assam. But I think they can’t take it to Assam because there are people from different castes and communities here…BJP followers themselves follow these practices here…Elections are coming, this is just their tactic to attack Muslims, Rafiqul said.
According to the 2011 census, Muslims constitute 34 percent of Assam’s population, amounting to 1.06 crore out of a total population of 3.12 crore.
(With input from agencies)