President, PM Modi hope for early nod to talaq bill

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed hope for an early Parliamentary approval of the triple talaq bill, saying there should be no politics on this important issue that will help Muslim women live a life “free of fear and dignity”. Later, a group of women activists said it rejected the Centre’s triple talaq bill, holding that it was “draconian” as well as “ambiguous”.

The Lok Sabha had last month passed the landmark bill. The legislation, however, could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha due to a deadlock over Oppositi-on’s demand seeking its reference to a select committee for close scrutiny. Mr Modi made a fresh pitch for the early passage of the bill by “humbly requesting” poli-tical parties to pass it in the Budget Session, which commenced on Monday.

In his customary address to the media outside Parliament House building on the first day of a parliamentary session, he said it was the government’s effort as well as the expectation of the people that there would be no politics on an important issue like triple talaq and that Muslim women would get their right.

“I hope and I humbly request all political parties of the country to get the bill passed in this session as a New Year gift of 2018 to Muslim women,” he said.

President Ram Nath Kovind also referred to the triple talaq bill in his maiden address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament, exuding confidence it will soon become a law.

Mr Kovind also made it clear that the Narendra Modi government will do everything to empower the minorities but not appease them.

Meanwhile in a press conference, Asma Zehra, convenor of the Hyderabad-based Muslim Mahila Research Kendra, said the bill went against the interests of women and children.

“The bill is draconian as a civil matter is converted into a criminal offence and the husband is sentenced to jail for three years. It is anti-women and anti-children as there is no mention of maintenance and it is anti-social,” she said.

The bill was “ambiguous” and lacked legal coherence, Ms Zehra, who is also a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said.

“The wording of the bill is such that there will be confusion in dealing between cases of a talaq and a triple talaq,” she said, adding, “We reject it.”