Triple Talaq Bill: With just two days left in the ongoing Parliament session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is not able to push through any of the three bills to replace three ordinances already in operation. These bills are related to an ordinance to ban the practice of Triple Talaq, another ordinance to amend the Companies Act, and one ordinance to ban unregulated deposit schemes. Prime Minister Modi’s government had promulgated four ordinances in February this year after it had failed to pass the relevant bills in the Parliament just before the Lok Sabha elections in April-May. Out of the four ordinances promulgated by President in February, only one bill has been passed by Parliament in the ongoing session.

With just two days left in the ongoing Parliament session, it’s difficult for the government’s floor managers to pass remaining three bills to replace three ordinances currently in operation without extending the session.

These three ordinances are: (i) the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Second Ordinance, 2019, (ii) the Companies (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2019, and (iii) the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Ordinance, 2019.

The government is keen to pass the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill and two other bills in the ongoing session to repace these three ordinances. However, an united opposition in the Rajya Sabha has emerged as the biggest hurdle in the government’s bid to push through this important legislation.

Opposition parties are determined that they will derail any effort to pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha in a hurry. The government has listed Triple Talaq Bill in its legislative agenda for Thursday.

“Even if the government is able to get the Triple Talaq Bill passed in the Lok Sabha tomorrow, we will not allow its passage in the Rajya Sabha on the last working day,” said KK Ragesh, CPM’s Rajya Sabha member.

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Several opposition parties including the principal opposition party, Indian National Congress, have opposed the Triple Talaq Bill on the ground that it turns marriage related disputes, a civil offence for other communities into a criminal offence for Muslim community.

“Friday is reserved for private members’ bill, we will not allow the government to push the Triple Talaq bill on Friday,” KK Ragesh told Financial Express Online.

The Union government is well aware about the daunting challenge the bill will face in the Rajya Sabha where it lacks the numbers. Perhaps, this was the reason behind the government’s decision for not taking up the bill in the Lok Sabha for a debate and passage where it has absolute majority.

As a last bid, the government may try to extend the session and try to persuade its NDA partners and some non-NDA parties like BJD, TRS and YSRSCP to support the bill. NDA ally JD(U) has already refused to back the bill in its present form.

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Senior JD(U) leader and former Rajya Sabha member KC Tyagi had earlier told Financial Express Online that his party will not support the Triple Talaq Bill in its present form.

“The bill should be sent to a parliamentary committee for further scrutiny,” KC Tyagi had told Financial Express Online.

In absence of any choice, the government is considering to extend the session and a final decision is likely to be taken on Thursday’s CCPA meeting.

Information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar Wednesday indicated that the session will be extended and opposition parties should not have any objection to it.

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