Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi defended penal provision in the "triple talaq" bill on Thursday, saying it is important to instill fear in the minds of those still practicing it. He also rejected the suggestions that it was against any religion.
Speaking during the debate in Lok Sabha, Mr Naqvi said the bill does not seek to victimise anyone but to provide safety and protection to Muslim women. Terming "triple talaq" a social evil, he said, the time has come to abolish it.
Since most of the concerns of political parties have already been incorporated in the bill, there is no need for sending it to Joint Select Committee, he said.
Mr Naqvi added that the Congress had the opportunity in 1986 but it did not take any significant step. They indulged in appeasement politics, he alleged.
He was countered by Congress' Mallikarjuna Kharge, who asked why there was discrimination against Muslim men, when no such thing existed in either Hinduism or Christianity.
There is no such thing as "triple talaq" in those religions, Mr Naqvi answered.
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