Women politicians oppose practice of triple talaq

Though most of the women leaders avoided direct comments on the Centre’s affidavit or sought to dissect it, they were strongly critical of the prevalent practice of dissolving marriage through ‘triple talaq’. Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla, who was the Minority Affairs Minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet before being appointed to the gubernatorial post, refrained from giving her opinion on the Centre’s stand, but, on a personal level, said an ‘un-Islamic’ interpretation was being given to the practice of ‘triple talaq’. Senior CPI(M) leader and former MP Subhashini Ali also opposed the practice of triple talaq and polygamy, seeking abolition. 

While Ali found fault with the ‘unilateral system of divorce by men’ and advocated that the Muslim clerics must ‘change their approach’, social activist Shabnam Hashmi categorically said “this practice (triple talaq) should be abolished. Without getting drawn into the Centre’s affidavit, Hashmi said the concept of one-time triple talaq does not exist in Islam and there is no mention of ‘gender inequality’ in any religion or religious texts. 

While Heptulla, Ali and Hashmi agreed to air their views on triple talaq, Aparupa Poddar, Trinamool Congress MP from Arambagh in West Bengal and is married to a Muslim, refused to be drawn into the debate leaving it for the party to take a stand on the Centre’s decision. Her party leaders also refused to take questions on the issue. Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza has said the matter of ‘triple talaq’ should be left to the Supreme Court to decide, but expressed her opposition to the ‘imposition’ of a Uniform Civil Code.