Triple talaq bill to face Rajya Sabha hurdle on Tuesday; BJP issues whip to MPs

While the Lok Sabha has already passed the triple talaq bill, it is not expected to be a cakewalk for the BJP to get the same passed in Rajya Sabha.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s triple talaq bill is slated to face the Rajya Sabha hurdle on Tuesday. Taking no chances, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued whip to its Rajya Sabha MPs, asking them to ensure attendance in the House.

While the Lok Sabha has already passed the bill, it is not expected to be a cakewalk for the BJP to get the same passed in Rajya Sabha. The opposition parties have numerical advantage over the treasury benches in the Upper House of Parliament, hence it is likely to be an uphill task for the Modi government.

Almost all major opposition parties have opposed the bill, either in totality or some provisions of it. Even when the bill was tabled in passed in the Lok Sabha through voice vote, opposition parties like the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Trinamool Congress, the DMK, among others, had staged a walkout.

The BJP’s ally from Bihar, Janata Dal United (JDU), has also expressed its concern over the bill. The Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the DMK have demanded that the bill should be sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny before it is passed by both Houses of Parliament.

Despite the opposition from the opposition, the BJP-led NDA government has maintained that it is a step towards ensuring gender equality and justice. Batting for the bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the bill was not about any religion, but was about ensuring that all citizens of the country get equality. He had also pointed that several Islamic nations had already abolished the practice of triple talaq.

The bill, which criminalises instant divorce by Muslim men and seeks jail term for the guilty, was the first draft legislation tabled by the Narendra Modi government after it took oath of office for a second term in May.