New Delhi, Jan 3 (UNI) Charging the NDA Government at the Centre of trying to mislead Muslim women on the Triple Talaq Bill, the Congress on Wednesday claimed that the entire opposition in the Rajya Sabha is united on the demand to refer the Bill to the Select committee.
Talking to reporters here, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad defended the demand by the Congress and other Opposition parties to refer the Bill to the select committee of the house.
Claiming that the 'numerical majority' in the Rajya Sabha is in favour of referring the Bill to a Select committee, Mr Azad said, 'the Government is trying to mislead on the Triple Talaq Bill. Today's proceedings in the Rajya Sabha showed that the Opposition has the 'Numerical majority' in support of its demand to refer the Bill to the select committee.
Despite this, the BJP opposed the motion moved by Mr Anand Sharma. They also opposed our demand for a division on the Motion to refer the Bill to a Select committee. In a Democracy, the will of the House is decided by a numerical majority. In this context, over 150 members are in favour of the Motion while only 74 are against it. The Government's stance shows that the BJP does no have faith in Parliamentary Democracy.'
Asked as to why the Congress did not push for referring the Bill to a Standing committee when it came up in the Lok Sabha, Mr Azad said, 'in the Lok Sabha too, we wanted the Bill to be referred to a Standing COmmittee of Parliament. However, we do not have the numbers in the Lok Sabha. The Government bulldozed through the Bill due to it having the numbers.'
Mr Azad said that in the meetings of the business advisory committee of the Rajya Sabha and talks with the Government, the Congress had made it clear that it wanted the Bill to be referred to the Select Committee.
'We had made it clear in the meetings of the BAC that they are alone (in opposing the Bill being referred to the Select committee) and that they should send the Bill to the Select committee,' Mr Azad said.
Refuting the charge by the Government that the Congress wants to delay the passage of the Bill, Mr Azad said, 'if that had been the case, we would not have mentioned in our Motion that the Select committee submit its report to the house in the first week of the Budget session.
Normally the reports of the Select committee are not submitted before two to three months. However, we have stipulated that the Select committee on the Bill should submit its report in 25 days.'
UNI AR SHK 1923