Govt clandestinely brought Triple Talaq Bill in RS: Opp

Opposition on Wednesday accused the BJP-led government of "clandestinely" listing the Triple Talaq bill and going back on its word on considering sending this and some other bills to a Rajya Sabha Select Committee for further parliamentary scrutiny.

0The issue was raised inside and outside Rajya Sabha by Leader of Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad and other floor leaders like Anand Sharma (Congress), Derek O'Brien (Trinamool Congress), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Elamarom Kareem (CPM), Binoy Vishwam (CPI) and Manoj K Jha (RJD).

The government had managed to pass the Triple Talaq bill on Tuesday evening after listing it on Monday night, taking the Opposition by surprise.

While Azad told reporters that the Triple Talaq Bill was listed "clandestinely", Sharma said Parliament was "not a factory to churn out laws".

The expression of Opposition anger came as the government outsmarted them in the voting of a motion to send the Triple Talaq Bill to a Select Committee by 84-100 votes. At least 24 Opposition MPs were absent, while some of them were accused of "tactically" remaining absent during the voting.

Opposition leaders claimed that they could not issue whip to its MPs as it was too late for some of the MPs, who were out of town, to return to the capital to participate in the voting. Parties like BSP and PDP spoke against the bill but none of its MPs were present during voting, while half of the 12 Samajwadi Party MPs were absent.

Azad said in between the disruptions during a debate on RTI (Amendment) Bill last week due to demand for sending it to a Select Committee, the government approached them asking them which bills the Opposition would like to send to Select Committees.

"They gave us a list of 23 Bills. We wanted at least half of them to be sent to Select Committees, but they said, make it as less as you can. So, we, collectively, identified six Bill as ‘A’ category and two Bills under ‘B’ category and handed over the list. In this, Triple Talaq and UAPA amendment bills were there. However, they clandestinely brought the Triple Talaq Bill by listing it on Monday night," he said.

O'Brien said the discussions on bills to be sent to the Select Committee were held by Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, Tawarchand Gehlot and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi with the Opposition in the presence of Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

"We had identified and told the government that Triple Talaq and UAPA Bills were on our high priority to be sent to Select Committee. We also identified four bills under A category and two others in B category. Government told us we will get back. They said we should not expect all to be sent but 3-4 could be sent. This agreement was broken," he said.