NDA plans a strategy on triple talaq as it planned for election of deputy chairman of RS

New Delhi, Dec 31: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to do the same what it did at the time of elections of deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) managed to win the seat despite short of majority in the Upper House and Janata Dal (United) member Harivansh Narayan Singh got elected to this post defeating Congress' B K Hariprasad.

Responsibility of managing the Rajya Sabha will be on deputy chairperson only as Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu will not be present in the house as his mother-in-law died. Actually there are 93 MPs of the NDA in the Rajya while the number for the anti-NDA is around 112 MPs. There is one seat vacant in the house. There are 39 other MPs, who will actually play the important role if the bill gets passed or not.

Meanwhile, not only the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but the Opposition Congress too have issued a whip asking their Rajya Sabha members to be present in the Upper House of Parliament. The bill seeks to make triple talaq practice among Muslims a criminal offence which is passed from the Lok Sabha.

The Congress leaders had a meeting to chalk out their strategy on the issue when they met in the office of leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. Meanwhile, Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs Vijay Goel tried to contact all political parties to garner support for the bill. He said that Muslim women are looking at the Rajya Sabha with hope.

Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will introduce the bill but the Congress is clear in its mind that it will not allow to pass the bill in its present form. The Lok Sabha cleared the bill on December 27, 2018 with 245 voting in its favour and 11 against it. The Congress, other opposition parties, and even the BJP's friendly party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha to protest against the bill.

The fresh bill on triple talaq was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17 to replace an ordinance. The ordinance was issued in September, 2018 after the government failed to have an earlier version of the bill passed in Rajya Sabha. The fresh bill too provides for a jail term of three years for a husband on pronouncing instant divorce.

The government has brought some amendments, including the introduction of a bail provision, to make the bill more acceptable. Opposition parties have suggested the bill be sent to a joint select committee for further review.

The Congress is of the view that it would join hands with others to prevent the bill from getting passed in the Upper House. Around 10 opposition parties came out against the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, when it was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Opposition leaders have claimed to have the support of 112 members in the upper house is enough to stall the bill where the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government is still in a minority.