The decades-old Assam Assembly tradition of a two-hour break to facilitate Muslim legislators to offer ‘namaz’ on Fridays was discontinued for the first time during the ongoing budget session. The decision to do away with the break was taken in the last session of the House in August, but implemented from this sitting.

Expressing dissatisfaction over it, AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam maintained that it was a decision imposed on the strength of numbers.

“There are about 30 Muslim MLAs in the assembly. We had expressed our views against the move. But they (the BJP) have the numbers and are imposing it on the basis of that,” Islam said.

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia of the Congress said provision can be made for the Muslim MLAs to offer ‘namaz’ nearby on Fridays.

“Today, several of my party colleagues and AIUDF MLAs missed important discussion as they went to offer ‘namaz’. Since it is a special prayer requirement only for Fridays, I think a provision can be made for it nearby,” he said.

The decision to discontinue the nearly 90-year-old practice was taken by the Rules Committee of the House, headed by the Speaker, in August last year.

Speaker Biswajit Daimary, “in view of the secular nature of the Constitution, had proposed that the Assam Legislative Assembly must conduct its proceedings on Fridays like any other day”, which was placed before the Rules Committee and passed unanimously.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had welcomed the decision, stating that it was a practice introduced by the Muslim League’s Syed Saadulla in 1937, and the decision to discontinue the break “prioritised productivity and shed another vestige of colonial baggage”.

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