BJP discussed triple talaq bill and Constitution's 123rd amendment bill in parliamentary board meeting, says Ananth Kumar

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar on 3 January said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) discussed the triple talaq bill and the Constitution's 123rd amendment bill, which will give constitutional status to the OBC commission in its parliamentary board meeting.

"In today's parliamentary party meeting, we discussed two important bills. First, the Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill which will give constitutional status to OBC Commission and second, the bill which will end Triple Talaq and protect the rights of Muslim women," Kumar told the media after the meeting.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which criminalises the practice of instant triple talaq, will be taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha today.

Passed in the Lok Sabha through a voice vote last week, the bill recommends a jail term of up to three years for the husband for pronouncing triple talaq.

The bill had also seen protests by opposition parties like the Congress, Left, AIADMK and DMK, asking for it to be sent to a parliamentary panel to further understand the "need" for a civil issue to be turned into a criminal one. 

-AN