Giving triple talaq is just like maa behen ki gaali: Ghulam Nabi Azad argues in Rajya Sabha

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jul 30, 2019 : Opposing the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad likened pronouncing triple talaq by a Muslim man with expletives hurled by one person at other person in a fit of rage, Yahoo reported.

 

 

Azad said, "Law minister sahib, if I use an expletive for you or I say that I will kill you.It does not mean anything if it does not happen. You will complain that I gave you maa behen ki gaali. But it won’t be an act. Pronouncing triple talaq (talaq talaq talaq) is exactly like that."

Azad argued that the Supreme Court order instant triple talaq is unconstitutional and pronouncing talaq three times by a Muslim man to his wife is a void act.

The congress leader said the triple talaq bill should be sent to the select committee of the Rajya Sabha for wider consultation. Azad slammed the government accusing it of creating a tool to sow the seed of discord among Muslim families.

"This law is [the result of] intoxication of power. It is politically motivated," he said.

Azad was opposed the triple talaq bill that makes declaration of instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a cognisable offence for which police can arrest the accused even without a warrant. He also said the bill provides for sentencing the accused to three years in jail for a void act but makes him liable for payment of subsistence allowance to his illegally divorced wife.

"Mr Law Minister [Ravi Shankar Prasad], this kind of a law could have come from your side only. None from this [the Opposition] side could have conceived of such an idea," Azad said in the upper house during debate on the triple talaq bill.

The government tabled the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha today for passage. The Lok Sabha passed the bill last week for the second time. The bill had been passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2017 during the previous Narendra Modi government.

The triple talaq bill was the first draft legislation that the Narendra Modi cabinet approved after coming back to power in the Lok Sabha election.

The NDA does not have majority in the Rajya Sabha and the passage of a bill depends on cooperation of non-UPA parties in the upper house. In the case of the triple talaq bill, the Janata Dal (United), the BJP’s ally in the NDA, has opposed the legislation.

At present, the Rajya Sabha has three vacancies bringing down its total strength to 242 and the half-way mark at 121. The NDA has 113 members including the nominated and Independent MPs supporting it in the Rajya Sabha.

Taking out the JDU’s six MPs, the strength of the NDA comes down to 107. But then the JDU has decided to abstain from voting instead of voting against the triple talq bill. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) will also not participate in the voting on the triple talaq bill. The party has six MPs in the Rajya Sabha. This brings down the half-way mark in the Rajya Sabha to 115.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has extended support to the government on the triple talaq bill. This takes NDA’s strength in the Rajya Sabha on the triple talaq bill to 114. But there are a few other misses. Arun Jaitley, the BJP MP from Gujarat is not participating in the proceedings bringing down the strength of the NDA to 113.

However, the NDA is likely to gain from the absentees from the Opposition rank. Oscar Fernandes and four other Congress MPs are not in the Rajya Sabha for voting on the triple talaq bill. NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel are also absent.

Two Samajwadi Party MPs including Beniprasad Verma are not in the Rajya Sabha. Ram Jethmalani of the RJD, two Trinamool Congress MPs and one member of the Telugu Desam Party are also not present in the Rajya Sabha for voting on the triple talaq bill.

This means that the effective strength of the Rajya Sabha during voting on the triple talaq bill is likely to be around 216 with the government requiring only 109 to have its way on the legislation. With BJD voting for it, the NDA is confident of having support of 113 MPs on the triple talaq bill.