Naqvi hits out at Congress on Triple Talaq bill

Hitting out at the Congress for opposing the Bill to make the practice of instant triple talaq illegal, Union Minority Affairs Minister Naqvi on Thursday said the country was suffering because of the "sin" committed by the Congress in 1986.

"On May 5, 1986 there was a very important verdict of Supreme Court on the rights of Muslim women. In this house......(in) 1986 in order to make this verdict ineffective the government at that time came out with a law," Naqvi said intervening in the debate on The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019.

"And at the time the Congress Government in order to please a few people has done (this). And since then till today it is considered as a form of punishment," the minister said.

"In 1986 for a few handful people you did sin for which nation is suffering," the minister added.

Unlike in 1986, the BJP government is going to come out with a law to make effective the verdict of Supreme Court given recently.

The bill, he said, is a constitutional commitment and aims at giving rights to the Muslim women.

"I would appeal that all people should support the bill without any pressure," he added.

"This nation runs with constitution. Our nation is not run by shariat and religious law. Neither our nation is run by any religion, be it Muslim, Hindu....In Constitution, gender equality has been talked about time and again. Can we forget and ignore it," the minister questioned.

Stating that Islamic countries have put an end to triple talaq, he said that India took 70 years to put an end to this social evil.

"And even after 70 years if we going to put an end to it you are putting a question mark on it? Somewhere it is not logical but illogical," he added.

The country has put an end to the social evils like sati and child marriage, he said.

Triple talaq, he said, is also a social evil and people were giving logic that if the husband goes to jail then who will take care of his wife and family.

"Why should you do such an act that you have to go to jail," the minister asked.

Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Sudip Bandyopadhyay (Trinamool Congress) said: "We are in favour of empowerment of women," and added that the provision of imprisonment was "irrational".

This provision of imprisonment would lead to injustice and would deteriorate the life of women.

"We propose that this bill be referred to a Joint Select Committee," he said.

YSR Congress Party's Midhun Reddy was of the view that the three-year jail term was "not required".