Expect cooperation in RS on triple talaq bill: Minister

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday said the government is hopeful of getting cooperation from all parties on the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha, where the government does not have a majority and the previous bill on the subject was stuck due to oppositions reservations.

The Minister said that during the debate on the triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha the previous day, all members who participated in the debate agreed that the practice was bad and it should be stopped.

The government got the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 passed in the lower House on Thursday amidst opposition's walkout after a four-hour debate.

"I would not discuss here what will be our strategy in the Rajya Sabha. But we do expect that all (political parties) would understand that this is not an issue of political opposition. They need to consider that this is for giving justice to the victims of triple talaq," Prasad said in response to a media query.

"This Bill should not be seen through vote bank prism. In the debate in Lok Sabha yesterday (Thursday), every speaker admitted that triple talaq is wrong, but they want this should not be made a criminal offence. Now, I find this logic quaint," he added.

He said the practice would continue if there is not a "deterrence".

The Bill provides for imprisonment up to three years to the Muslim man who pronounces instant divorce to his wife.

Prasad said that given the "maturity" of the upper House of Parliament and the "sensitivity" of the matter, the government is hopeful of getting cooperation from other parties on the Bill in Rajya Sabha.

The opposition has been demanding that the Bill be sent to a joint select committee of Parliament for detailed consideration of its all aspects. The government has not agreed to the proposal and hence the Congress and a few other parties staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha on Thursday when the Bill was put to vote.

--IANS

mak/nir