Triple Talaq Bill expected to face wall in Rajya Sabha

While the BJP riding on its sheer majority managed to pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 (Triple Talaq Bill) in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, it is expected to hit a wall when it comes in the Rajya Sabha. Any legislation besides, the money bill, requires passage in both the houses to become an Act or a law.

The Opposition, including NDA constituent AIADMK, who raised several objections in the current legislation, want the government to send it back to a Joint Select Committee and on their superior strength in Rajya Sabha they likely to succeed.

"The Bill is against the Constitution. It is against fundamental rights. We had asked for the Bill to be sent to Joint Select Committee to get justice for Muslim women. They (BJP) has used its numbers to pass in the Lok Sabha polls because to approaching polls," said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

Opposition parties, led by the Congress, are not only against criminalising the Act, but they also want certain changes to be made in the Bill with regard to the maintenance to the aggrieved women.

Calling the Bill against the Muslim community as a whole, AIADMK MP Anwar Raja said, we oppose the Bill. We are against it and will fight the government's move to make it a law. We demand that it should be given to Joint committee to remove anomalies.

"We agree that the bill is for women, but we have our objections to this bill. We do not agree in making instant triple talaq a criminal act. This government has made repeated attempts to misuse the Supreme Court's judgement," Congress MP, Sushmita Dey said.

The government is now expected to push the legislation in the Rajya Sabha but the opposition, superior in numbers, may not allow to take it up in the current session as it is already up in the arms against the government on several other issues like Rafale, farmers' distress etc.