Owaisi lashes out at Modi government’s plan on triple talaq

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president and member of Lok Sabha from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi today lashed out at the Modi government’s move to bring in a legislation to declare triple talaq or instant divorce a crime punishable with three years’ imprisonment.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting on the occasion of Eid-e-Miladunnabi [Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) birthday celebrations] last night in Hyderabad, he termed the move a flagrant interference in the law of Sharia. “You can ban a movie just because of the protest of a community, why can’t I lead my life in accordance with my religion”, he asked.

He said that even the Supreme Court judgement on the issue of triple talaq was confusing. “It was not clear whether instant talaq annuls marriage or the court ruled that even if three talaqs were pronounced it should be counted as one. So how can the government bring in such a legislation”, he asked.

He said that the draft legislation, likely to be moved in the coming winter session of Parliament, raises many questions such as who would take care of the family if a person was jailed for three years.”Will the Modi government provide financial aid to women if their husband was jailed”, he asked.

Hindu women were facing even bigger problems but the government was not doing anything for them, he added.

“Such a bill will create serious problems like husbands abandoning wives”, he said.

He urged the Muslim community to remain united to foil such attempts. Giving an example of the Rajput community Owaisi said that despite being less in number if they could stop the release of the movie, why couldn’t they stop the government interference in Sharia. He was referring to period drama Padmavati, which has been embroiled in controversy over the depiction of an Indian queen.

“If Muslims can unite to strengthen the country and to save Sharia, we can definitely achieve anything”.

Owaisi also lashed out at the BJP and the Congress party for being in a race to prove who was the bigger Hindu in the Gujarat elections.

Referring to the BJP declaring Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi a “Non Hindu” and Congress in response declaring Rahul a “Janeu dhari Hindu” or [thread wearing Hindu demarcating his upper caste lineage], Owaisi asked, “Did Ambedkar pave this path for someone to declare he was Janeu Dhari Hindu and someone says he was a Hindu as well as OBC or other backward caste person.

He said that Congress leaders were calling BJP President Amit Shah a Jain and Shah was declaring himself a Hindu. “There is a race going on between the two parties to prove who was bigger Hindu but when I say I am a Muslim and Muslims should get education and job opportunities they question my secularism”, Owaisi said. “Every leader of these parties is making rounds of one temple after the other. But I go to a mosque or a Dargah it become objectionable”.

Referring to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath describing Taj Mahal as symbol of slavery, Owaisi asked, “then why Modi choose to host a dinner for Ivanka Trump and others at Falaknuma Palace, which was also built by my forefathers?”