Assam Opposition Rejects UCC, Cites No Public Gain

The Assam Legislative Assembly session turned contentious on Monday when opposition lawmakers launched a coordinated attack on the newly introduced Uniform Civil Code bill. Congress MLA Zakir Hussain Sikdar opened the salvo by declaring the legislation unnecessary for the state and insisting it would deliver zero tangible benefits to citizens. He accused the BJP of pushing the measure solely for electoral advantage. Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi framed the proposal as an assault on individual privacy, warning that bureaucratic oversight could extend into kitchens and bedrooms. Gogoi cited repeated Supreme Court rulings protecting personal liberty and pledged to return the bill to the government. Fellow Congress member Tanzil Hussain confirmed that the opposition intends to stage protests during the next sitting. In contrast, Speaker Ranjit Kumar Das welcomed the initiative, predicting positive outcomes for minority women and promising to encourage cross-party cooperation. The heated exchanges underscore the challenge of forging consensus on sensitive social reforms in a diverse state like Assam.