Previous govt did not take decision fearing vote loss: PM Modi on Triple Talaq

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the Opposition for stalling the Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha and accused the previous government at the Centre of not taking a decision on the issue due to "fear of vote loss".

Addressing a rally after laying the foundation stone of Talcher Fertilizer Plant, Prime Minister Modi said that even though the Opposition created a hurdle in the Upper House of Parliament, his government was committed to saving the "Muslim sisters and daughters from the clutches of social injustice."

"Three days ago, the central government took a decision that was needed since decades. The decision was on Triple Talaq. No one was ready to even talk about it due to fear of losing votes. Now, it has been declared illegal," the Prime Minister said.

On September 19, the Union Cabinet approved an ordinance on Triple Talaq Bill, making instant talaq a criminal act. The government approved the ordinance after it could not be tabled in the Rajya Sabha due to lack of consensus last month during the monsoon session of Parliament.

Speaking at the event about the fertilizer plant, he said the construction of the plant, picked up speed only after the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government came to power at the Centre.

While vowing to complete the plant in next 36 months, he termed the delay of the project a "failure of previous government."

Setting a tone for the upcoming assembly poll in Odisha which is due for next year, Prime Minister Modi attacked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and said, "I had urged the Chief Minister that Odisha will be left behind in cleanliness. But today, when I have come here, I again urge Naveen Babu to give priority to cleanliness in Odisha for the health of the people here."

Talking about the Center's Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which aims to provide health insurance coverage to the people, the Prime Minister said that he even urged Patnaik to be a part of it for the welfare of the people, but the latter did not agree.

Prime Minister Modi, who is on a one-day visit to the state, later in the day inaugurated Jharsuguda Airport.