The triple talaq bill, or the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, which seeks to criminalise instant divorce or uttering of talaq thrice for Muslims, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha last week with most of the Opposition parties, including the Congress, voting in favour. However, opposition parties have demanded that the bill be sent to a select committee to be rectified before being brought into force.
Name of 17 Rajya Sabha MPs including Renuka Chowdhury, K Rahman Khan, Derek O Brien, Javed Ahmad, Majeed Memon, KK Ragesh, D Raja proposed to be members of Select Committee in the notice sent by Congress' Anand Sharma #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/aExOfiFMnL
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018
We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No women's groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to all stakeholders: Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien
Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says that even yesterday, triple talaq happened in UP. The Congress, which supported triple talaq bill in Lok Sabha, took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. They supported it in Lok Sabha in compulsion since they were less in number. Let the country know Congress' hypocrisy and double standard, says Prasad.
Amid ruckus over debate on triple talaq bill, deputy chairman adjourns the House till Thursday.
He (Arun Jaitley) referred to judgment of SC, I want to correct the record because I appeared in the case on behalf of Muslim Personal Law Board. What he said was in context of the minority judgment, says Kapil Sibal of the Congress.
The BJP is saying they are working for the women but why hasn’t the government brought in women reservation bill? We want them to table the bill in this session of Parliament, says Anand Sharma.
Reason why it should not be referred (to select committee) is that when the practice was declared unconstitutional, two of the judges held it as unfair and used their extraordinary power to suspend it for six months, which expire on February 22, says Jaitley.
Judges said, "We are now suspending it for six months and we beseech all parties, therefore within this period come out with apt legislation." So, there is an urgency that country expects from Parliament. Legislature must act with sense of responsibility, he says.
TMC's Derek O'Brien says the opposition also wants the bill but asks the minister to send it to a standing committee.
The whole country is watching that in the other House you supported the bill and in this House you are trying to derail the bill, says Jaitley.
The house is taken by surprise that a motion is suddenly moved, it has not been submitted a day before. The motion has to be given at least 24 hours in advance, says Arun Jaitley on Anand Sharma's notice.
Congress leader Anand Sharma moves notice stating that the triple talaq bill be referred to a Select Committee of the RajyaSabha, also proposes names of committee members.
Even after passage of triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha, the practice continues. A woman in Moradabad was given triple talaq over dowry: Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
We condemn the statement by the law minister, that we are raising the Bhima Koregaon violence issue to stall the triple talaq bill. We have been raising the issue of Dalit atrocities as this government is anti-Dalit, says Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
This (Bhima Koregaon violence) issue is being raised deliberately so that the triple talaq bill can be stalled: Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Rajya Sabha.
Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tables the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill for discussion and debate in the Rajya Sabha.
Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the house till 3pm after opposition members created ruckus over the violence in Maharashtra.
Atrocities are being inflicted on Dalits since the last three and a half years, since the BJP came to power at the Centre, ANI quotes Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad as saying.
Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the house till 11am on Thursday following ruckus while Trinamool Congress member Kalyan Banerjee was speaking on the Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017, which seeks to grant the National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC) constitutional status, at par with the commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Congress leader Kharge calls Bhima Koregaon situation a “failure” of the Maharashtra government, asks speaker to call PM Modi to speak on the issue.
"The Congress is showing double standards. It is trying to stall the bill in the Rajya Sabha after supporting it in the Lok Sabha," parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar quotes finance minister Arun Jaitley as saying at the BJP parliamentary party meeting.
Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourns the house till 12.45pm after members create ruckus over the violence against Dalits in Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says "Supreme Court judge should be appointed for inquiry in the Bhima Koregaon violence. PM should also give a statement, he can't stay mum! He is a 'mauni baba' on such issues".
BJP member and parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar says Congress and its leaders, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, playing politics over the violence in Maharashtra.
"Aag ko bujhaane ke bajaaye, bhadkaane ka kaam Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi aur Congress party kar rahi hai. Ise desh bardasht nahin karega," says Ananth Kumar.
In the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress speaks on the violence against Dalits in Bhima Koregaon, asks Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the issue.
Kharge alleges that BJP-RSS intigated the violence. "Samaaj mein division karne ke liye, kattar Hindutvavaadi, jo wahan RSS ke log hain... iske peecha unka haath hai. Unhone ye kaam karwaya hai," says Kharge.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2pm after ruckus continues over the caste violence in Maharashtra.
In the Rajya Sabha, Satish Chandra Mishra of BSP alleged that the RSS and BJP are responsible for the violence against Dalits in Maharashtra. Mishra and some other members said they had given a notice for holding a discussion on the matter. Several members of the opposition as well as from the treasury benches tried to speak on the issue simultaneously, chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House till noon.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj answers questions from Lok Sabha members on whether steps are being taken to make Hindi an official language at the UN.
The Lok Sabha will take up the High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, the National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill.
The Rajya Sabha will take up the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, the Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, the State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill.
“In today's parliamentary party meeting, we discussed two important bills - first, the Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill which will give constitutional status to the OBC Commission, and second, the bill which will end triple talaq and protect the rights of Muslim women,” says Union minister Ananth Kumar.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till noon after ruckus caused by member over the Dalit protests in Maharashtra.