The BJP and Congress engaged in a political spat soon after the Centre cleared an Ordinance making the practice of triple talaq a punishable offence. While BJP president Amit Shah termed it a historic moment and said it is also a matter of introspection and guilt for political parties which forced Muslim women to suffer due to vote bank politics, the Congress accused the Modi Government of treating the issue of instant triple talaq “more as a political football than a matter of justice to Muslim women”.
Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Cabinet’s nod to the ordinance, Shah said in tweets that the decision will allow Muslim women to live with dignity in society. Targeting opposition parties such as the Congress, he said, “This ordinance is also a matter of guilt and introspection for them as they forced Muslims women to suffer from this bad practice for decades due to their vote bank politics.”
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the Government has not acceded to the Congress request for making a provision for attaching the property of those not providing compensation to the affected women and children after giving them divorce.
Surjewala said instant triple talaq was “an illegal, unconstitutional and inhuman practice” that was quashed by the Supreme Court. After the Supreme Court quashed the practice, it has become a law.
“For us, triple talaq has always been a human issue related to women rights and extending justice to them,” he said, adding that this is the reason why Congress leaders and lawyers such as Salman Khurshid and Manish Tiwari represented the affected women before the Supreme Court in the case. However, the Modi Government is treating the issue more as a political football than a matter of justice to Muslim women,” he alleged.
“When triple talaq has been quashed, the next issue now is of providing justice to Muslim women. They should have the right to allowance from the property of their husband to look after themselves and their children. The property of those men who are unable to provide this compensation, should be attached. But the Modi government is avoiding this.
“They do not want justice be given to Muslim women, Modiji does not want that Muslim women get allowance and our amendment that property should be attached was not accepted by the government,” Surjewala said at AICC briefing.
Surjewala said the Congress had objected that if a man is jailed, how will women get allowance and how can care be ensured to their children.