Assam Assembly Ends 2-Hour Friday Break for Prayers
The Assam Legislative Assembly has officially amended a rule that provided a two-hour break on Fridays for Muslim legislators to offer prayers. This decision was made to prioritize the productivity of the assembly.
Chief Minister’s Statement
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his gratitude towards Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary for this decision. Sarma stated, “By doing away with the 2-hour Jumma break, Assam Assembly has prioritized productivity and shed another vestige of colonial baggage. This practice was introduced by Muslim League’s Syed Saadulla in 1937. My gratitude to Speaker Biswajit Daimary and our legislators for this historical decision.”
New Assembly Rules
According to the previous rule, the Assembly’s Friday sitting was adjourned at 11 am to allow Muslim members to go for namaaz. The new rule states that the Assembly will conduct its proceedings without any adjournment for religious purposes. The Assembly will now commence its proceedings at 9:30 am every day, including Fridays.
Reason for the Amendment
The amendment was made to scrap the colonial practice aimed at dividing society on a religious basis. The proposal was first presented to the Rules Committee, headed by Speaker Biswajit Daimary, which unanimously agreed to drop this rule. The official order stated, “Since the creation of the Assam Legislative Assembly, the sitting of the Assembly on Friday used to be adjourned at 11 am to facilitate Muslim members to go for namaaz. The Assembly used to resume its proceedings in the post-lunch session after the Muslim members had come back from the namaaz. On all other days, the House used to conduct its proceedings without any such adjournment for religious purposes.”
The order further read, “Biswajit Daimary, Hon’ble Speaker took note of this matter and in view of the secular nature of the Constitution, proposed that the Assam Legislative Assembly must conduct its proceedings on Fridays like any other day without any adjournment to facilitate Muslim members to go for namaaz.”
Today, the House adopted a motion to amend this rule, creating history by doing away with this colonial practice aimed at dividing society on a religious basis.
Doubts Revealed
Assam Legislative Assembly -: This is a group of people who make laws for the state of Assam in India. They meet in a big building to discuss and decide on important issues.
Muslim legislators -: These are members of the Assam Legislative Assembly who follow the religion of Islam. They used to get a break on Fridays to pray.
Chief Minister -: The Chief Minister is the head of the government in a state in India. Himanta Biswa Sarma is the current Chief Minister of Assam.
Assembly Speaker -: The Assembly Speaker is the person who manages the meetings in the Legislative Assembly. Biswajit Daimary is the current Speaker in Assam.
colonial practice -: This refers to rules or customs that were introduced when India was ruled by the British. These practices were often used to control and divide people.
religious adjournments -: These are breaks or pauses in the Assembly’s work to allow members to practice their religion. The Assembly will now work continuously without such breaks.
