Thursday, 4 January 2018

Triple talaq debate continues amid RS slugfest, winter session to end today

Opposition members protest inside the Lok Sabha in New Delhi during the ongoing winter session of Parliament

The deadlock on the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha continued on Thursday as the government rejected the opposition's demand to send the controversial legislation to a Select Committee

The government tactically placed the bill in the bottom of priority in the list of business, which the opposition strongly objected to and demanded that its motions for referring the bill to a Select Committee be taken up first. The business list had the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill ahead of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien pleaded helplessness on the ground that the listing of business was the government's priority and decided to go ahead with the GST bill, triggering an opposition uproar which finally forced him to adjourn the House for the day.

The government has decided to put the triple talaq bill, which seeks to criminalise instant divorce by uttering talaq thrice, for consideration on Friday -- the last day of the winter session.

Earlier, the opposition wanted the Chair to put the motions moved by Congress leader Anand Sharma and Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Shekar Roy for reference of the legislation to a proposed Select Committee be put to vote immediately. They contended that before the House adjourned on Wednesday, a division was to be taken and so the Rajya Sabha should pick up the thread from where it was left.

After some discussion, the two sides agreed to conduct a short-duration discussion on the economy and take up the matter regarding triple talaq bill after that.Following Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's reply to the discussion, the opposition returned to its demand for a vote on the two motions.
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