Assam govt wants to ban polygamy: CM Himanta

Guwahati The Assam government has already conveyed to the authorities concerned that it is in support of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and wants to ban polygamy in the state immediately, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.

The UCC is a matter which will be decided by Parliament, but the state can also take a call on it with the assent of the President, Sarma said at the sidelines of a programme here. 'UCC involves various issues and the Law Commission as well as the Parliamentary Committee is looking into it. The Assam government has already conveyed that it is in its support,' the chief minister said. Pending the decision on the UCC, 'we want to take one of its segments – polygamy - and ban it immediately. We are planning to introduce a Bill to ban it in the next assembly session in September,” he said.

Sarma, also a senior BJP leader, said if the state government is unable to table the Bill for some reason, it will be done in the January session. “In the meantime, however, if the UCC is implemented, we do not have to take this action as it will be merged with it,' he said. Regarding the Congress' opposition to the UCC, the chief minister wondered if a leader of that party has a daughter, 'will the person marry her off to somebody with two wives'. 'The problem is that Congress leaders do not realise the pain of Muslim women. They take their votes but they do not want to give back anything to them', he said.

The Congress wants the votes of both Muslim men and women but they want to serve only the men, Sarma added. 'Even Nabi (The Prophet) did not support polygamy as he had said that all Muslims should ideally have one wife.