Congress MP Sushmita Dev says the Supreme Court will strike down the law if it is passed, asserts party argument based on law.
New Delhi: The triple talaq bill passed in the Lok Sabha Thursday is “a desperate cleansing act” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rid himself of his “anti-Muslim image”, Congress MP Sushmita Dev said.
“This bill is an attempt by the Prime Minister to basically say ‘I’m not that anti-Muslim and I care for Muslim women’,” Dev told ThePrint in an interview, a day after the controversial bill criminalising the already outlawed practice of triple talaq was passed in the lower house of Parliament. “It is basically a desperate cleansing act for the PM’s ugly image when it comes to Muslims,” she added.
The Congress, along with other opposition parties such as the TMC, NCP, AIADMK, RJD, BJD, NC and the SP, had staged a walkout from Parliament during voting on the bill. The opposition parties had wanted the bill to be sent to a parliamentary committee for greater scrutiny.
Asked if the Congress would be seen as “anti-women” in its attempt to block the bill, Dev said, “We might not be able to win TV debates but our argument is based on law, whereas the BJP’s is based on what will look good for the PM’s next speech.”
“We don’t posture, we make laws and govern,” she added.
That the BJP has not consulted with any stakeholders before passing this bill is “extremely problematic”, Dev said, adding, “What are parliamentary committees for? Why do you not want to talk to the affected community? It obviously is to appear good to the rest of the country.”
Also read: Today’s Parliament debate on triple talaq was just ‘politics and posturing’
‘Should have consulted stakeholders’
The Congress MP further said that since the government is thinking of passing legislation on the abandonment of wives by NRI husbands without criminalising it, it should have done the same for triple talaq. “Will you criminalise abandonment by NRI husbands?” she asked. “No, because for you, Muslims are a soft punching bag.”
Responding to this question in Parliament, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that the government had not consulted with rapists before passing the ordinance to ensure the death penalty for rape of children under 12 years of age, so why is it being asked to hold consultations in this case.
“There is a difference between rape and the personal laws of a community. What kind of a comparison is this? Who are they fooling?” Dev said, responding to Prasad’s remarks.
Calling the amendments brought by the government “cosmetic changes” that do not address the real issue — criminalising the civil wrong of arbitrary divorce — Dev said the law is bound to be struck down by the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court will strike it down for sure since it has no legal tenability,” she said.
While the bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha, it could get stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP does not have the numbers to push it through amid resistance from the opposition.
I don’t think, partly after watching Cut the Clutter, this is going to make waves with Muslim women. The provision for three years’ imprisonment is particularly daft.