Government likely to press on with triple talaq bill in Rajya Sabha today

The government had listed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 on Monday but the Rajya Sabha did not take it up amid opposition's reservations over the proposed legislation and its insistence on sending the bill to a select committee.

Triple Talaq (Image: PTI)

New Delhi:  The Modi government is likely to make another serious attempt at passing the Triple Talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. However, the opposition parties are firm on its demand to refer the bill to a select committee of the House. With the Congress, which is pushing for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe, the Rafale deal may once again create an uproar in the Upper House of the Parliament. The government had listed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 on Monday but the Rajya Sabha did not take it up amid opposition's reservations over the proposed legislation and its insistence on sending the bill to a select committee. This had led to heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches and the House was adjourned for the day amid ruckus. Though the government does not seem to have the numbers on its side -- and is not even sure of support of one of its allies, Janata Dal United (JD-U), on the issue -- it would most likely push for it as it has to replace the ordinance promulgated in September last year. Both opposition and government have been accusing each other of doing politics over the issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In the Lok Sabha on Monday, Congress party leader Mallikarjun Kharge had said that since Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had "thrown a challenge", his party is ready for a debate on January 2. The Congress MPs kept staging protests holding placards and shouting slogans near the Chair's podium in the lower House, demanding a JPC probe. Meanwhile, terming triple talaq bill "inhuman, anti-women and barbaric", women's wing of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday appealed to Rajya Sabha members to press for referring it to a select committee for scrutiny.