HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda is to abolish all Muslim Personal Laws, said All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday.
He was reacting on the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017 that was passed in the Lok Sabha.
The AIMIM chief said, "The Prime Minister’s agenda is to remove all Muslim Personal Law. They want to remove all forms of talaq. But, the prime minister is cut off from the reality on triple talaq. He should know that marriage in Islam is a civil contract. A breach of the contract does not lead to the criminal penal provisions.”
He added that the bill, also called the Triple Talaq bill, will create more injustice as the burden will be on poor Muslim women.
“The badly drafted bill violates fundamental rights promised by the Constitution. Can the PM tell that if the man is sent to prison, who will give the subsistence allowance, who will take care of the wife?” asked Owaisi.
The bill, which will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha, draft says, "any pronouncement of talaq by a person upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal".
There is also a provision of imprisonment for a term, which may extend to three years and fine for violators. The draft bill also envisages entitling divorcee Muslim women for maintenance and has a provision for them to have the custody of their minor children. The offences under the purview of this bill will be cognisable and non-bailable.