New Delhi : The Congress and BJP have issued whips to all their MPs in the Rajya Sabha to be present in the house today, the last day of the winter session of parliament, just in case the "triple talaq" bill is taken up. The bill is listed in the Rajya Sabha’s agenda today, but, with a deadlock between the government and opposition continuing, may not come up, thus allowing it to be deferred to the budget session.
That is the government’s gameplan after it failed to convince the opposition to help pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha, where it is in a minority. A united opposition led by the Congress has stuck to its demand that the bill, cleared by the Lok Sabha last week, be sent for review to a parliamentary committee.
The Muslim Women Protection of Rights in Marriage Bill 2017 seeks to make the instant "triple talaq" a criminal offence and proposes up to three years in jail as punishment for a Muslim man who divorces his wife by saying "talaq" thrice. The government has said that after the Supreme Court held the practice unconstitutional last year, the bill must be passed to ensure justice to Muslim women. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has urged MPs to pass the bill pointing out that despite the Supreme Court order, instant "triple talaqs" are happening every day.
