The Assam Assembly on Friday decided to end a British-era rule of giving a break for offering Friday Namaz.
From now on, there will be no break on Friday for Namaz prayers for Muslim MLAs.
Biswajit Phukan, a BJP MLA from Sarupathar Assembly segment said, “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 P.M. an 2 P.M. in which Muslim legislators would offer Namaz every Friday. But this rule has been changed from now on and there will be no break.”
He stated that 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.
“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 A.M. from Monday to Thursday and on Friday, it begins at 9 A.M. 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 A.M. every day.
Notably, Assam has ended another pre-Independence rule.
The Assam Assembly on Thursday 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.
This legislation replaces the archaic Assam Moslem Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935.
Speaking at a discussion on this Bill, CM Sarma said, “The highest Muslim population states in India are Kerala and Jammu & 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.”
He also expressed concern about Muslim women and asserted that the Muslim marriage registration Act will give them safety and security.
Fall of Congress in Gujarat: Three decades of decline and struggle for relevance
The Congress party was once the dominant political force in Gujarat, shaping the state’s governance since independence. However, over the past 30 years, the party has witnessed a dramatic downfall, losing ground to the BJP’s aggressive electoral strategies, organisational strength, and ideological appeal.
‘Disempowering Muslims’: J&K political parties oppose Waqf (Amendment) Bill
All political parties of J&K, except the BJP, opposed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that the Bill is intended to disempower Muslims and only target one religion.
Radical group founder wanted in Jaipur serial blast plot apprehended in Ratlam
The Madhya Pradesh Police in Ratlam achieved a significant breakthrough in apprehending Firoz, also known as Sabji, a fugitive implicated in a conspiracy to execute serial blasts aimed at creating panic and terrorising the Rajasthan capital city of Jaipur.
Amit Shah & Akhilesh Yadav’s lighter exchange in LS over party president
Amid the uproar and heated debate between the ruling party and the Opposition over the Waqf Amendment Bill on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha witnessed some lighter moments between Home Minister Amit Shah and SP President Akhilesh Yadav.
Waqf Bill weakens Constitution, defames minorities, divides society: Gaurav Gogoi
As Parliament debated the contentious Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, on Wednesday, deputy leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi came down heavily on the government.
Bill not linked to religion, it’s prospective and not retrospective: Kiren Rijiju flays naysayers
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday tore into the Opposition for ‘spreading falsehood’ over the Waqf Amendment Bill and urged the ‘doubters and naysayers’ to refrain from misleading the people on the proposed reforms.
Parliament was being claimed as Waqf property: Rijiju slams UPA for making provisions 'overriding' other laws
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday bashed the previous UPA government for de-notifying 123 properties and handing them over to the Delhi Waqf Board.
Bhopal’s Muslims burst firecrackers in support of Waqf (Amendment) Bill
A large number of Muslims in Madhya Pradesh's capital, Bhopal, burst firecrackers on Wednesday to express their support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was presented in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day.