GUWAHATI: The Congress on Friday opposed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement that the BJP would bring Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state if it got re-elected.

Congress leader Pawan Khera predicted that Sarma would not return to power.

“First of all, he (Sarma) will not return to power. He will go to jail after this election. He knows it. I know it,” Khera told media persons in Guwahati.

“This country is a collection of several belief systems, customs, traditions, and languages. You cannot try and impose one language, one system, one belief, one faith on everyone,” he further stated.

Speaking in the Assembly on Thursday, the chief minister “assured” that if the NDA retained power after next year’s Assam elections, it would bring UCC in the state.

“Stop me but if you cannot, I will bring UCC in the first session of the Assembly,” he stated, challenging the Opposition after the Assembly had passed a bill banning polygamy.

Meanwhile, Khera accused Sarma of presiding over “large-scale corruption” and eroding the cultural identity that has long defined the state. He alleged that Assam’s global reputation, built by icons like Zubeen Garg, was being tarnished under the current regime.

“Assam was once known for tea, culture and harmony. Today, it is being associated with drugs, cattle smuggling and corruption. Even the meaning of ‘ABCD’ has changed,” he remarked.