Triple Talaq Must Go

The conduct of the Congress Party- the principal opposition party in the Rajya Sabha, which, by the way, still has the largest number of members, is beyond any body’s comprehension. If it was against the triple talaq bill, then why did it support it in the Lok Sabha? What is the point of stalling the bill in the Rajya Sabha on the most frivolous ground of referring it to the Parliamentary Committee to reconsider it and suggest the changes- when the bill has no ambiguity at all? Does it not show that a historical party has lost its moorings and is moving on the tragic path of hara-kiri?

The most reactionary Lord Curzon had once said ‘commissions there are that shelves and commissions there are that solve’. He was right no doubt. Referring the bill to the Parliamentary Committee certainly is not to solve but to shelve the issue.

Going against the Bill means antediluvian thinking of the Congress Party. It has clearly failed to see that groundswell of opposition to the instant talaq in the Muslim community itself. The opposition parties are not only swimming against the tide of sentiments of the people, but they are committing egregious injustice to the Muslim women. Such occasions rarely come for any party or even an individual to play the momentous role in the history. Unfortunately, the Congress party is missing the bus. The posterity will never forgive and forget the opposition parties, particularly the Congress Party for its blunder of monumental proportions.

 Nevertheless, if the government is really serious, and there appears to be no doubt, then it must call the joint session of Parliament to get this Bill passed. I am sure this step of the government will have the unprecedented support of the public. And any democratic government should be wary of the public opinion and not of the petty politicians.

 Let us keep our fingers crossed.