“Muslim leaders need to act maturely”: Assam Minister responds to Waris Pathan over repeal of Muslim Marriage Act

Guwahati (Assam) [India]: Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika has responded to AIMIM leader Waris Pathan’s ‘Anti-Muslim’ remark on the state cabinet decision to repeal the Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act and asked, “How does repealing an 89-year-old law that permits the marriage between a small girl and an adult male become anti-Muslim?”

Waris Pathan alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is ‘anti-Muslim’ and that they want to polarise votes before the Lok Sabha polls.

Responding to it, Hazarika, in a post on X, said that Muslim leaders need to act maturely.
“How does repealing an 89-year-old law that permits the marriage between a small girl and an adult male become anti-Muslim? Muslim leaders need to act maturely and stand alongside the interests of our daughters rather than standing for abhorrent social evils,” he said.

Earlier, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) leader Rafiqul Islam on Saturday criticised the decision, calling it a “tactic to target Muslims.”

Rafiqul, claimed that the Assam government, led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, does not have the “courage” to bring the Uniform Civil Code, hence repealing the Marriage Act.

“This Government doesn’t dare to bring UCC. They can’t do it. What they brought in Uttarakhand, is not UCC either…They were trying to bring UCC to Assam too. But I think they can’t bring it to Assam because there are people from several castes and communities here…BJP followers themselves follow those practices here…Elections are approaching, this is just their tactics to target Muslims,” he said.

In a step towards prohibiting child marriage in the state, the Assam Cabinet on Friday repealed the ‘Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on ‘X’ and said that this move marks another significant step towards prohibiting child marriages in Assam.

The state government mentioned after repealing the law, “District Commissioners and District Registrars will be authorized to take custody of registration records currently in the custody of 94 Muslim Marriage Registrars on the repeal of the legislation under the overall supervision, guidance, and control of the Inspector General of Registration.

Further, listing the reason behind repealing the law, the Assam Government said that it was an obsolete pre-Independence Act of the British for the then Province of Assam.