A day after losing out to BJP ruled NDA in the number game leading to the passage of Triple Talaq bill in Rajya Sabha, the Opposition parties blamed the government for keeping them in the dark and clandestinely sneaking in the controversial bill in the business list at the last moment.
Bringing up the issue in zero hour on Thursday, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who fought a losing battle to send the triple talaq bill to the select committee, said - to end the logjam in the Rajya Sabha, the parliamentary affairs and other leaders had approached the opposition with 23 bills to ask which bills we wanted to be sent to Select Committees.
"We unanimously wanted to send at least half of the bills to Select Committees. When they asked us to reduce the number, we identified as many six bills as A-category to be sent to Select Committees, and two under B-category and the list was taken by the government," said Azad supported by several opposition parties including TMC, CPI, CPM, DMK, RJD and BSP.
Referring to the passage of the Triple Talaq Bill, Azad said, "You are a master, you tell your people to be present and we remain under the illusion that this bill is going to the Select Committee….This is not done. This is unfair, undemocratic on the part of the government."
Azad said the triple talaq was the first bill which was supposed to go to Select Committee while the second bill on the list to amend the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act listed, was also slated to go to Select Committee.
"Unfortunately, the government clandestinely listed the triple talaq bill at night," said Azad explaining the reason why opposition parties were not present in full strength in the upper house as they failed to inform their members in time and issue a three line whip for compulsory presence.
More than a dozen members were absent from opposition benches at the time of voting on triple talaq bill on Tuesday that allowed the government, along with the help of parties like JDU, TRS, YSR Congress and AIADMK who chose to walkout in protest, to pass the controversial legislation by 99 votes in favour and 84 against it.
Countering the charge, union minister Prakash Javadekar argued that the chair has already said that eight out of 10 bills in last two years have been sent to the Select Committees.
"This shows the intention of the government. The UAPA bill was not sent to Select Committee during the UPA government also. It is not like this that all these bills will have to go to Select Committees," he said.
Why Oppn was against the bill
Opposition parties are not against having a law against instant triple talaq, they rather wanted the bill to be amended or to be sent to a select committee for wider consultation. The opposition objected to the clause which allows the police to arrest a husband without a warrant just on the basis of a complaint by his wife or her family.
It also wanted amendment in section that criminalises triple talaq with a three-year jail term for husband with fine. The argument was that according to Muslim law, marriage is a social contract and should be dealt in a civil court and not in a criminal court. The opposition also argued selectively targeting of Muslims when in other religions there is no law to help the women who are deserted by their husbands and cannot even marry in the absence of a divorce.
