Opp adamant to defer Bill

A united Opposition on Wednesday played spoilsport to the Government’s effort to pass the triple talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha demanding that it should be sent to a Select Committee for review. The Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill. The fate of the legislation now hangs in balance with only two working days of the current session left.

Amid noisy scenes, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad introduced the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 for discussion and passage. Pandemonium broke out with the Opposition creating an uproar and the BJP countering it, forcing the Chair to adjourn the House for the day.

While Government blamed the Opposition for stalling the Bill, its own allies TDP and Shiv Sena backed the Opposition’s demand. As heated exchanges continued despite warnings and appeals by Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, he adjourned the House for the day without giving any ruling on the validity of the Opposition’s motion on the select panel.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley lashed out at the Congress for “indirectly” opposing the Bill and said Muslim women would continue to face injustice due to its attitude. The politics of the Opposition party has been to support the Bill in one House and oppose it in the other, he said.

Congress, however, accused the BJP of “befooling” Muslim women with the triple talaq Bill alleging that it has no provision for their welfare in case their husbands are jailed. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said 18 Opposition parties, including the Congress wanted to send the Bill to a Select Committee for its proper scrutiny before it becomes a law, but the Government did not allow it.

Jaitley said it was a golden opportunity for Parliament to end the injustice (that has been) happening with Muslim women for a long time and this injustice will carry on due to this attitude of the Congress. “It has become clear that the Congress party is indirectly opposing the triple talaq Bill. It was a mere sham that they gave a statement and supported the Bill. They tried their best to ensure that this Bill is not passed in the Rajya Sabha,” Jaitley told reporters outside Parliament.

Jaitley still exuded confidence that the Congress and other Opposition parties would have to support the Bill in the end due to majority public opinion in the country. Asked what would happen to the Bill on Thursday, he said, “We will see tomorrow when it comes before Parliament.”

The House, which had met at 3 pm after witnessing three adjournments over the Maharashtra caste violence, also witnessed procedural wrangling from both sides. While the Government emphasised the need to pass the Bill on an urgent basis citing a Supreme Court judgement pronouncing triple talaq as unconstitutional, the Opposition countered it saying the views of various stakeholders must be taken by the select panel.

While supporting the Bill, the Opposition parties, especially those from the Congress, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, insisted that it be referred to a select panel for further scrutiny.

Appealing for its expeditious passage, Prasad said that the Congress had supported the Bill in the Lower House and asked it to clear its position here. However, the Opposition remained adamant on its demand for setting up of a select committee, with Congress Deputy Leader Anand Sharma moving a resolution to this effect.

Sharma gave a list of Opposition members to be part of the proposed select committee and asked the ruling party to suggest its names to the panel, which should give its report in the first week of the Budget Session. Besides Congress, SP and TMC, the names proposed by Sharma for the panel included leaders of AIADMK, BSP, DMK, NCP, CPI, CPI(M), TDP, RJD, BJD, JMM, IUML and nominated member KTS Tulsi. TMC’s Derek O’Brien insisted that the resolution on sending the Bill to a select panel be put to vote in the House and a division was sought.

Dubbing Sharma’s motion to set up a select committee as “invalid”, Jaitley objected to the procedure followed by him, saying Rule 70 (sub-rule 2a) cited by Sharma was not applicable here because the Bill did not originate from the Upper House. It originated in the Lok Sabha and was transmitted to the Rajya Sabha.

Countering Jaitley’s views, Congress leader and Upper House member Kapil Sibal said the Minister referred to a minority judgement of the Supreme Court on the issue while there was no mention of urgency in the majority judgement of the apex court.

As unruly scenes continued, the ruling party members including Ministers were up on their feet and asked, “Is it wrong to give respect to women?” Responding to them, Sharma said the Congress respects the women’s rights and supports the Bill. “We are not opposing, we are supporting it. We are not hypocrites. We want to ensure the Bill goes through legislative scrutiny.”

He also chided the ruling party for claiming to be champion of the women’s cause but not bringing the women’s reservation Bill.

Azad claimed the Bill is “more political” and there is “so much of dichotomy and contradiction” that injustice with Muslim women will continue in the absence of any provision for their welfare. He clarified the Congress’ intention is clear that it wants injustice with Muslim women to end. The party, he said, is seeking amendments in the proposed legislation by removing the criminality clause and make provision for looking after Muslim women in case their husband is sent to jail.