TMC Legislator Quits Assam House Over Uniform Civil Code Row

The Assam Assembly session turned tense when TMC MLA Sherman Ali Ahmad staged a walkout midway through discussions on the Uniform Civil Code. Ahmad charged the state government with deliberately pushing a bill designed to stoke communal tensions rather than foster equality. Before leaving, he acknowledged that certain aspects of the draft—such as raising the legal marriage age and regulating live-in relationships—were acceptable. Yet he warned that other sections directly contradict both the Constitution and Islamic principles. The legislator singled out the blanket exemption given to tribal populations, arguing that a truly uniform code should not carve out selective immunity. The proposed law, introduced on Monday, sets strict penalties for polygamy and unregistered live-in arrangements, ranging from three years to life imprisonment. Ahmad’s departure underscores the opposition’s broader unease about the BJP’s legislative agenda in a state already sensitive to identity politics. Political observers believe the episode may further polarise debate ahead of the bill’s eventual passage.