Blitz Bureau
GUWAHATI: The Assam assembly on August 30 discontinued the Britishera practice break during proceedings on Fridays that allowed Muslim leaders to offer namaz (prayers). The assembly amended Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business which dealt with sittings the House. As per the rule sittings used to commence from 9:30 AM to 2.00 PM on all weekdays except Friday and Saturday.
The rule of giving a break to Muslim MLAs for offering the Friday Namaz has been discontinued in the Assam Assembly.
“Since the British times in India, a break used to be given in the Assam Assembly on every Friday for offering Namaz. There was a break of two hours between 12 PM and 2 PM in which Muslim legislators would offer Namaz every Friday. But this rule has been changed from now on and there will be no break,” said Biswajit Phukan, a BJP MLA from Sarupathar Assembly.
The decision was taken at a meeting conducted by Speaker of Assam Assembly Biswajit Daimary and it was a unanimous one, supported by other legislators, said Biswajit Phukan. “Everybody has voiced support for this decision. It has been studied that Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and Assembly houses in other states do not have the provision of giving a break for offering Namaz. Hence the Speaker of Assam Assembly also decided to end this British-era rule,” Phukan stated.
According to him, the Assam Assembly starts at 9.30 AM from Monday to Thursday and on Friday, it begins at 9 AM to give the two-hour break for Namaz. However, since this has been changed, from now on the Assembly will begin its operation at 9.30 AM every day.
Scrapping another pre-Independence rule, the Assam Assembly on August 30, August 19, passed a Bill that would require compulsory registration of Muslim marriages and divorces with the government.
The Assembly passed the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024, aiming to safeguard the rights of Muslim women and men and eliminate child marriages.
Speaking at a discussion on this Bill, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “The highest Muslim population states in India are Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir. There was already a law to register Muslim marriages. In Kerala, this Act must have been brought either by the Congress or the Left Government as the BJP was never in power in this southern state.”
