Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently directed a pointed comment at Lok Sabha MP and president of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Badruddin Ajmal, suggesting that if Ajmal intends to take additional wives, he should do so before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Sarma emphasised that with the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) after the polls, polygamy would be deemed illegal in Assam.
Addressing the issue, Sarma stated, "He should get married now. After the elections, the UCC will come to Assam, then there will be arrests. So it’s okay if he gets married before the election... As far as I know, he has one wife. He can marry a second or third but after the elections, we will stop polygamy."
Sarma further expressed willingness to attend Ajmal's wedding festivities if they were to occur before the elections, highlighting the legality of such ceremonies at present. However, he cautioned that post-election, polygamous marriages would be unlawful.
The Chief Minister's remarks come amidst ongoing debates regarding the regulation of polygamy in Assam. Last year, Badruddin Ajmal advocated for spreading awareness against multiple marriages rather than enforcing a ban, as the Assam government contemplated introducing legislation to prohibit polygamy.
Earlier, he laid out conditions for recognizing Bengali-speaking Bangladeshi Muslims, often referred to as 'Miya', as indigenous Assamese. Among these conditions was the requirement for the Miya community to renounce practices such as child marriage and polygamy.
Sarma's stance on polygamy aligns with his government's recent actions against social issues like child marriage. The crackdown on child marriage in 2023 revealed instances where elderly men were marrying young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, prompting Sarma to emphasize the need for social reform.
