Guwahati, May 28 -- The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill that seeks to put in place a common legal framework to govern marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships irrespective of religion, even as the opposition demanded that it be sent to a select committee. The Bill, the third such after similar legislations were passed in Uttarakhand and Gujarat, aims to govern and regulate laws relating to marriage and divorce, succession and live-in relationships. The Assam legislation excludes scheduled tribes (STs), who comprise 12.45% of the population (2011 census). Legislators from the ruling parties stressed that the law will empower and honour women, but opposition parties stated that it was not needed, was introduced without wide consultations, is not uniform as it excludes scheduled tribes (STs), termed it a political stunt and suggested amendments. "We had mentioned clearly in our manifesto ahead of polls that if we win, we will bring UCC...Congress has concerns about how the Bill will affect practices followed under Quran and Shariat, but they haven't mentioned once about Bhagawad Gita or Ramayan, which shows that the party represents just one community," said chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, defending the legislation and targeting the Congress earlier. Opposing the legislation, Congress legislature party leader, Wazed Ali Choudhury, stated that forcible implementation of UCC will infringe on personal liberties, create social and religious tensions in a diverse country like India and maintained that existing laws related to polygamy, child marriages etc are enough to handle issues related to women empowerment. All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA, Mazibur Rahman, stated that implementation of UCC based on Article 44 of the Constitution would violate the fundamental rights and existing legal provisions guaranteed to all including Muslims, who comprise 34.22% of Assam's population (2011 census)....