New Delhi, Dec 28: BJP Member of Parliament, Meenakshi Lekhi on Thursday made an emotive speech in Parliament, assuring Muslim women that they must not worry as they have Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their brother. She was speaking in a debate on the contentious Triple Talaq issue.
The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) government tabled the Triple Talaq bill that criminalises instant talaq. The bill also fixes punishment of up to three years to people who practice talaq-e-biddat. Opposition members have demanded that the bill should be sent to standing committee for perusal and amendments must be made. Most of the opposition members expressed their reservation about punishment mandated in the bill. (Also read: Triple Talaq Bill: Don’t Politicise, Says Govt; Congress Wants it to be Sent to Standing Committee)
“I want to say this to all Muslim women that when they have a brother like Narendra Modi, they do not need to be afraid of anyone,” she said.
She further said that the women in India were the biggest minority in this country. It was high time that the practices that oppress women were done away with.
“Talaq-e-biddat has nothing to do with religion. It is customary,” she added.
Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that bill was about any prayer, ritual or religion– it was against the pain of Muslim women,
“This law is for women’s rights and justice and not regarding any prayer, ritual or religion. We must understand pain of Muslim women. Today morning I read news that a woman in Rampur was given talaq by her husband just because she woke up late,” he said.
“About 100 cases of Triple Talaq have come to light after Supreme Court’s verdict. When Islamic countries have regulated provisions of Triple Talaq then why can’t we as a secular nation do it? We are not interfering in Shariat,” he added.