Triple talaq bill faces fierce opposition in Rajya Sabha

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The Rajya Sabha on Monday failed to initiate a discussion on the contentious triple talaq bill, with a united opposition led by the Congress demanding that the draft law be sent to a select committee for scrutiny.

With the government pressing for a discussion on the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) bill, 2018 after Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tabled the same, the opposition stuck to its demand for sending it to a select committee.

Amid a stalemate between the government and the opposition over the issue, the House failed to transact any significant business. The House was adjourned for the day amid din over the issue. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the bill was very crucial and requires further scrutiny and claimed that more than half of the members had demanded that the bill be sent to a committee.

He accused the government of breaking the tradition of sending bills to select committees for scrutiny before they become a law. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said the government was ready for a discussion on the issue and accused the Congress of creating hurdles in the passage of the legislation.

Deputy Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma said, "The government is misleading the people. If the bill has been passed without legislative scrutiny in the Lok Sabha then it should not be passed here without referring to select committee. Rajya Sabha is not a rubber stamp," he said.

Responding to this, Prasad said, "This bill is very important. We want to discuss it here and are ready to listen to any suggestion. Even after bringing the ordinance, there have been incidents of triple talaq till yesterday. It is a question of gender equality. We want to discuss and pass the bill."

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