Triple talaq bill deferred, may come up in budget session

The triple talaq bill was deferred once again on Thursday and may come up only in the Budget Session.

The government refused a vote on the Opposition's demand for sending the proposed legislation to a select committee.

With the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2017, not being taken up on the penultimate day of the Winter Session and the ruling BJP in no mood to accept the demand for sending it to a select committee, it is to be seen whether the government would give it another try on Friday.

Usually, on the last day of the session, private members' business is taken up.

The Opposition claimed a moral victory as Deputy Chairman P J Kurien over-ruled Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's objections to the motions.

The government, too, had reasons to cheer as the Chair did not accede to the Opposition's demand for voting on sending the bill to a select committee first before taking up the Goods and Service Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill.

If there is no resolution, a decision on triple talaq bill will be delayed by at least a month when Parliament reconvenes for Budget Session.

The House was adjourned for the second consecutive day amid speculation that BJP chief Amit Shah would make his maiden speech by participating in the debate on GST amendment bill.

The government had listed the GST Bill as the first legislative business after a short duration on the state of the economy, followed by triple talaq bill.

Sources in the Opposition said that the day's developments showed that the government was taking a confrontational stand.

Charges and counter-charges flew inside and outside the House with the Opposition claiming that the BJP was exposed, while the ruling side said that the Congress-led Opposition's double standards were exposed.

Inside the House, Jaitley accused the Opposition of "sabotaging" the bill.

The Trinamool Congress' Derek O'Brien countered saying, "It is clear that this side (Opposition) wants to empower Muslim women and that side (BJP) does not want that".

To this, Union minister Smriti Irani replied, "Absolutely not. If you want to empower women, start the discussion now."

The Opposition MPs were on their feet around 5:25 pm soon after Kurien called Jaitley to introduce the amendment bill.

They wanted the "pending" business of a decision on their motion to be taken up first.

Jaitley countered them saying that the two motions moved by the Opposition were not in order and had flaws, to which Kurien said Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has allowed it and he cannot change that.

However, Kurien said it is the government's prerogative to list the business and he cannot take up the triple talaq bill now.

This resulted in an uproar following which the House was adjourned.