Triple talaq ordinance historic: Amit Shah

BJP President Amit Shah. PTI Photo

NEW DELHI: Terming as historic the ordinance making the practice of triple talaq a punishable offence, BJP president Amit Shah said on Wednesday it is also a matter of introspection and guilt for those political parties which forced Muslim women to suffer from it due to their vote bank politics. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Cabinet's nod to the ordinance, Shah said in tweets that it is a victory for Muslim women as far as equality and their fundamental constitutional rights are concerned. He said the BJP views the government's decision as a step towards achieving the goal of a "determined new India". The law once in force will allow Muslim women to live with dignity in society, the BJP president said. Targeting opposition parties such as the Congress, he said, "This ordinance is also a matter of guilt and introspection for them as they forced Muslim women to suffer from this bad practice for decades due to their vote bank politics." The Union Cabinet approved Wednesday an ordinance to ban the practice of instant triple talaq, with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying there was a "compelling necessity" to bring the measure as instances of 'talaq-e-biddat' continued unabated despite the Supreme Court striking it down. Under the proposed ordinance, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.