Triple talaq debate ends in commotion in RS; Cong derailing bill, says Govt

New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Wednesday accused the Congress of "double standards" in its stand on the triple talaq bill, saying it was trying to stall the bill in the Rajya Sabha after supporting it in the Lok Sabha. Jaitley also accused the party of trying to derail the bill.

The triple talaq bill was tabled by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad amid ruckus by in the Upper House.

Prasad, citing the example of a woman in Moradabad being given triple talaq over dowry, said the practice has been continuing even after it was passed in the Lok Sabha.

Congress' Anand Sharma moved notice stating that triple talaq bill must be referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha, and also proposed names of the committee members.

Jaitley hit back at Sharma's notice stating that a motion cannot be suddenly moved and has to be given at least 24 hours in advance.

Stating the reason for the bill to not be referred to the select committee, Jaitley said, "When the practice was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, 2 of the judges held it as unfair and used their extraordinary power to suspend it for 6 months, which expires on February 22".

While Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice S Abdul Nazeer wanted to put triple talaq on hold for six months till the government made a law on this, Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman and U U Lalit ruled the practice was "manifestly arbitrary and violative of the Constitution".

Jaitley said a sense of urgency has arisen on the issue and that the country expects an appropriate solution from the Parliament.

"Legislature must act with sense of responsibility," he added.

Meanwhile, the opposition continuously raised the issue of Bhima Koregaon violence which was termed by the Government as a "deliberate attempt" to stall the triple talaq bill.

After continued pandemonium over the triple talaq bill, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till Thursday.