File Picture Courtesy : livemint.com
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a “humble request” to all political parties to help pass the bill on instant triple talaq in the Budget session of Parliament, saying it would be a New Year gift for Muslim women.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House, Modi said despite his government’s efforts and people’s expectations the triple talaq bill could not be passed in the last session.
He said though there should be no politics on the issue as it relates to the rights of Muslim women, the Bill could not be passed.
The NDA government according to various media reports will push for the Triple Talaq Bill starting on Monday
“We will leave no stone unturned in talking to and convincing all the political parties to ensure that the triple talaq bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha. The way they have passed GST unanimously, we request them to pass this too unanimously,” parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said.
Opposition parties insisted the proposed law be referred to a select committee for scrutiny. After an all-party meeting on Sunday, the government said it will do “everything possible” to ensure the bill’s passage in the budget session.
“Let the House decide,” Kumar said in response to a question on the Opposition’s demand that the bill be referred to a select committee for wider deliberations.
It may be recalled that the Lok Sabha on December 28 passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill which criminalises instant triple talaq and stipulates up to three years of jail time and a penalty for violators. However, consensus eluded the two sides when the bill was taken up in the Upper House where the NDA lacks the numbers to push bills through without opposition support.
While the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, sailed through the Lok Sabha, it is pending in the Rajya Sabhja as several opposition parties demanded that it be referred to a select committee.
