by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Lucknow : Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday slammed the Modi government for approving an ordinance for a third time to make triple talaq a law.
The Modi cabinet on Tuesday evening ratified three ordinances, including one on triple talaq.
Yadav said the law was being “used as a weapon” to target minorities from university campuses to Parliament. He said the ordinance was not the way to usher in major social changes.
“Only politics of honour and respect can make the country progressive.”
He also urged his party workers to ensure that the decades of rivalry between his party and the Bahujan Samaj Party was bridged so that the alliance emerged victorious in the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Narendra Modi government is yet to take a decision on bringing an ordinance to amend the Citizenship bill after the amendment bill failed to secure parliamentary approval, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Wednesday.
The government, however, is likely to repromulgate the triple talaq ordinance as it could not get the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill too passed in the upper House, though Tomar refused to comment on that too.
“I cannot say anything as of now on this matter. We will think over it,” Tomar said in response to IANS query whether ordinances will be brought in place of the said bills.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill is being widely opposed, especially in the northeast where even the BJP’s allies in the NDA have taken a strong exception to the legislation that was passed by the Lok Sabha last month.
Tomar blamed the opposition for non-passage of the triple talaq bill, saying the opposition’s attitude changed as the election came nearer.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
Representational Image (google image)
By Amulya Ganguli,
The day before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) waxed eloquent on the triple talaq bill in parliament, saffron bullies confronted a group of Muslims offering namaz (prayers) at a park in Noida, UP.
The attitude of the storm-troopers was both mocking and threatening. Today you are offering namaz, tomorrow you will build a mosque here, they said jeeringly to the obviously intimidated Muslims.
The BJP’s television warriors supported the saffronites during a debate on the subject, arguing that permission has to be taken before “occupying” a public place.
Where the BJP and the Sangh parivar are concerned, there is no question of showering petals from helicopters on the namazis as was done in UP on the kanwariyas or the worshippers of Lord Shiva as they marched along the roads and highways with or without formal permission.
These contrasting attitudes of the party in power at the centre towards Hindu and Muslim devotees – lenience towards the former and sternness towards the Muslims – do not conform to the BJP’s outpouring of concern for the Muslim women who may be victims of the admittedly ludicrous and abhorrent practice of Muslim men summarily divorcing their wives on flimsy grounds.
If the BJP is genuinely concerned about the welfare of Muslim women, its feelings of benevolence and sympathy should be reflected in its attitude towards the entire community and not only towards a particular section.
Since this isn’t the case as the vituperation directed at Muslims by the trolls shows, along with the advice of saffron stalwarts like Vinay Katiyar who want the Muslims to leave India for Pakistan or Bangladesh, or the urging of a BJP MP to dig up the Jama Masjid to uncover the hidden temples, the suspicion wiill be that the BJP’s focus on the triple talaq issue is guided more by political than humane, gender-based considerations.
The party’s calculation apparently is that since the Muslims as a whole are unlikely to vote for it in view of the parivar’s nine-decade-long preference for a Hindu rashtra, it can be politically useful to wean away at least some of the women.
Another objective of the party is to offer a Hobson’s choice to its opponents where opposing the bill will depict them as anti-women while supporting it will mean meekly endorsing their adversary, the BJP’s stance, much to its delight.
For the present, sections of the opposition evaded the trap by walking out of the Lok Sabha before the voting took place. But the issue will come up again in the Rajya Sabha where a clear-cut stance will have to be taken.
As of now, the opposition wants the bill to be sent to a joint select committee since some of the provisions need to be modified, especially the one relating to criminalising the “offence” of divorcing the wife.
Undoubtedly, this is the sticking point, for it is absurd to criminally prosecute a man for a divorce even if his act is whimsical and has no sanction even in other Muslim countries. For such a practice to be prevalent only in India brings no glory to the Muslims.
Ideally, the “reform” in this respect should have come from within the community. However, since the organisations which claim to look after the Muslim interests in India had taken no interest in the matter all these years, it had to be left to the Supreme Court to ban the practice of triple talaq although it did not call for a law.
If the BJP has favoured the legal process, it is for two reasons – both political. One is to look for votes by championing the cause of women’s empowerment, and the other is to send a message to the Muslims (and other minorities) that the present government will not hesitate – unlike its “secular” predecessors – to legislate in matters which fall within the purview of their personal laws even if the triple talaq issue is little short of an outrage which should have been ended long ago.
If the “secular” governments had been hesitant in this regard, the reason undoubtedly was that they were unwilling to interfere in the affairs of a community which suffered from a guilt complex for having caused the country’s partition – a “sin” for which they were accused of being unpatriotic, especially by the Hindu Right.
However, now that a Hindu nationalist government has done what the Left-Liberals were reluctant to do, the latter can rectify some of their earlier lapses such as overturning the Supreme Court judgment in the Shah Bano case on maintenance for divorced women and help in fine-tuning the triple talaq legislation in a manner which will make it acceptable to the political class as a whole.
The BJP’s defeats in the Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections have shown that the triple talaq issue hasn’t been of much help to the party. If it has now rushed through the bill in the Lok Sabha, it is perhaps with the general election in mind.
However, the endeavour of all parties should be to keep the matter as far above politics as possible and ensure that the new law does not penalise either men or the women or the children of divorced parents.
(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi,
There is no disappointment if the Anti Talaq Bill is passed in the Lok Sabha today (27 Dec. 2018). The outcome was expected as the ruling party has absolute majority in the lower house of Indian Parliament and to display its muscle power the government would by all means pass this Bill.
However, to me, the take aways from today’s debate in the Parliament are:
(1). The whole opposition has clearly opposed this Bill and demanded it is to be sent to Select Committee.
(2). Some opposition speakers have spoken very well against the motion while participating in the debate.
(3). There was some clarity in the opposition as what it has been opposing and why unlike the earlier debate on the same Bill in the same Lok Sabha.
(4) The standard of debate today in the Parliament was high and content came out was important and educative for many.
(5). A few members of the AIMPLB have done hardwork last week and met important opposition leaders from West Bengal to Hyderabad which had partly paid positively.
(6). On the other hand, some speakers from the opposition were lacking in counter arguments, statistics and in putting their views across as how this new Bill is useless, communal and against basic tenets of Indian constitution and Islam.
(6). The opposition failed to state that this Bill is against all Muslims denominations including Shia sect and Salfi school, and plainly against Islam. Among Muslims across the world, the debate on Triple Talaq, has always been, if instant Triple Talaq is three or one effective. The Bill made it completely null and void which is against Qur’an thus against fundamental rights of a minority group and against basic principle of our constitution.
(7). The entire opposition also failed to strongly question the government as how a ‘no-crime’ becomes ‘crime’. Talaq, Talaq, Talaq is meaningless according to this Bill as well as according to the Supreme Court order in 2017. How mere utterance of a meaningless word does become a crime?
(8). The opposition also failed to ask the government about a precise and concise definition of Talaq-e Bida’t.
(9). The opposition could not clarify that this Bill is against Muslim women because it is taking away their rights of Khula (Talaq from wife’s side), guaranteed by their religion – Islam.
(10). The lack of a planned and unity-effort from the larger opposition was clearly visible. They were opposing but without a unanimous tune.
Will this Bill pass in RS?
I am not sure. I am, rather confident that this Bill can be stopped in Rajya Sabha subject to seriousness from the opposition and more preparation from All India Muslim Personal Law Board. It is time for the Board to find out who the speakers will be in the upper house when the Bill is presented there – in Rajya Sabha and brief them with concrete evidence and rational arguments that this Bill itself is utterly against both constitution and women. It is biased against male members of a particular community and a destructve instrument for family life. It is unjust and inhuman.
In a democracy number is important. The Board has already gathered authentic data where 90 percent Muslim women are against this Bill. This information needs to be put by the opposition before the highest legislative house of India. The Board needs to walk to the doors of all opposition parties who have strengths in Rajya Sabha like SP, BSP, AIADMK, DMK along with Congress, TMC, TDP and TRS.
(Author is editor of Eastern Crescent and based in Mumbai.)
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, commonly known as the Triple Talaq Bill, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday despite opposition from the Congress and amid protests over the Rafale controversy.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the bill amid ruckus created by opposition members including the Congress, AIADMK and TDP over various demands.
Soon after the House reassembled at noon after the first adjournment, the Congress, the AIADMK and TDP members trooped near the Speaker’s podium and started sloganeering.
The Congress members were demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale jet fighter deal with France while the AIADMK members wanted Karnataka to take back its proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu.
The TDP members raised several issues related to special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Amid the din, Minister Prasad sought permission from the Chair to introduce the bill.
Congress member Shashi Tharoor opposed the bill claiming it was targeted at a particular religion and hence unconstitutional.
“The bill was based on the ground of a specific religion and it was violation of sections 14 and 21 of the Constitution. This is a misconceived bill,” he said.
His objections were rejected by Prasad.
“The bill was brought in as per the direction of the Supreme Court to protect the rights of Muslim women. Several Muslim women suffered due to instant talaq. This bill is in the nation’s interest and constitutional. The objection is baseless,” Prasad said and then introduced the bill.
The government could not pass the bill in Rajya Sabha during the previous monsoon session.
Later it issued an ordinance on September 19 in making Triple Talaq a criminal offence.
—IANS
