Triple talaq bill will put Muslim women in trouble: Mamata

Kolkata, Jan 3  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday termed the triple talaq bill as “defective” and claimed that the impending legislation will put the women of Muslim community in trouble.

“BJP has come up with a defective bill on triple talaq. Let alone protecting the women, the women of that community will be in trouble because of the bill. BJP are doing politics over the issue of triple talaq,” she said at a public meeting in the state’s Birbhum district.

“We have not firmly opposed the bill as we are in favour of the women, but the bill that centre is trying to push through is politically motivated,” she said.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017 that seeks to criminalise instant divorce by uttering talaq thrice was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday amid uproar, with the Congress and other opposition parties including Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress demanding that it be referred to a parliamentary panel for detailed consideration.

Claiming that her government is in favour of women from all the communities, Banerjee, also the Trinamool supremo, said her party would firmly oppose any attempt to enforce a law on people by bringing in a “defective bill”.

“We do not want any form of oppression on women. I am in favour of the women from Muslim community as I am supportive of Hindu or Christian women. We have a special sentiment about women.

“But if someone comes up with a defective bill and tries to tamper the law, Trinamool Congrerss will not allow that,” Banerjee said speaking on the issue for the first time since the Supreme Court held the practice of triple talaq as unconstitutional.

IANS