No Namaz Break For MLAs On Friday: Assam CM Cracks Whip, Abolishes 87-Year-Old Practice

Assam Namaz Break Prohibited: The Assam Assembly has stopped the practice of allowing Muslim MLAs a break to attend Friday Namaz.

Biswajit Phukan, a BJP MLA from Sarupathar Assembly, said, “Since British times, the Assembly used to give a two-hour break every Friday from 12 PM to 2 PM for Muslim MLAs to pray. But this rule has been changed, and there will no longer be a break.”

Assam Assembly Ends Friday Namaz Break

Biswajit Phukan said that the decision to end the Friday prayer break was made at a meeting led by Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary and was agreed upon by all the legislators.

Phukan said that everyone supported ending the break for Friday prayers. He explained that other legislative bodies, like the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and assemblies in other states, don't have such breaks. That's why the Assam Assembly Speaker decided to end this old rule.

Phukan explained that the Assam Assembly used to start at 9:30 AM from Monday to Thursday, and at 9 AM on Fridays to allow a two-hour break for Namaz. Now, the Assembly will start at 9:30 AM every day.

Assembly Passed Bill For Mandatory Registration Of Muslim Marriages

On August 19, the Assam Assembly also passed a new Bill requiring the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces with the government. The Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024, aims to protect the rights of Muslim men and women and prevent child marriages.

During the discussion on this Bill, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma noted that Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir, which have large Muslim populations, already have laws for registering Muslim marriages. He mentioned that such laws in Kerala were likely enacted by the Congress or Left parties, as the BJP was never in power there.

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