Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the criminalisation of triple talaq was meant for the benefit of the Muslim community. “Hindus, Christians and Jains are not going to benefit by it (Triple talaq bill) because they never had to suffer due to it,” Shah said. Last month, the Parliament passed a law that makes instant talaq a criminal offence.
The BJP leader said that appeasement was the reason why the evil practice for triple talaq had continued for so long. “Vote bank politics has caused loss to the nation in many ways. Triple Talaq is one such example and vote bank politics is the reason that evil practice of Triple Talaq was allowed for so many years,” Amit Shah said. Amit Shah made the remarks while speaking at an event titled ‘Abolition of Triple Talaq: Correcting a historic wrong’.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2019 makes instant triple talaq a penal offence and was cleared by the Upper House on July 30. As per the new law, any form of instant talaq, either spoken, in writing or through an electronic medium, is illegal. It also has provisions for a jail term of three years for the husband.
Shah also claimed that the parties which opposed the bill in the parliament knew that it was a malpractice but did not have the courage to do anything about it. “Triple Talaq was a malpractice, there is no doubt about it in anybody’s mind. Some parties opposed the bill in Parliament but deep inside their heart they knew it was a malpractice that needed to end but they didn’t have the courage to do it,” said the home minister.