The government said on Sunday, 28 January that it would "leave no stone unturned" to ensure the passage of the triple talaq bill in the Budget session of Parliament starting on Monday, 29 January, and asserted that it would talk to various parties for a consensus on the issue.
The government met leaders of political parties at a meeting in Parliament House on Sunday and also sought their cooperation in ensuring the success of the crucial session during which the Union Budget would be presented.
The all-party meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar, besides leaders of opposition and other parties.
Addressing the floor leaders of the various parties in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Modi said the government accords importance to issues raised by the parties and urged their leaders to create a "constructive atmosphere for the national good".
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kumar described the meeting as "fruitful", and said the Prime Minister urged the leaders of the parties to make the session successful.
We will leave no stone unturned and persuade and request all political parties so that the bill is passed in the Rajya Sabha, as it has been in the Lok Sabha.Ananth Kumar
"We are very hopeful that the bill which is going to negate 'Talaq-e-Biddat' and pave the way for empowering Muslim women will be passed in the Rajya Sabha, too," he added.
Kumar said that he, along with Ministers of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel and Arjun Ram Meghwal, will approach various political parties to evolve a consensus for its passage.
"Like the way parties passed the GST unanimously, we are requesting them to pass this bill which is going to ban the practice of instant triple talaq (Talaq-e-Biddat) among Muslims," he said.
On the forthcoming session, he said, "We feel the budget session will be very successful and fruitful".
Asked if the bill would come up during the first part of the session, he replied in the affirmative, adding that it was listed in the business of the House.
While the government wants to push the passage of the triple talaq bill during the session, it will present the Economic Survey on Monday after a joint address by the President. The General Budget will be presented by the finance minister on 1 February.
The opposition, however, said it planned to counter the government on issues such as incidents of rape and other atrocities on women, alleged attacks on the Constitution and Constitutional institutions and the plight of traders, besides the recent incident of communal violence in Uttar Pradesh.
The opposition has also asked the government to allow a discussion on these issues during the Budget session.
.jpg?rect=0%2C0%2C2000%2C1125&auto=format%2Ccompress&fmt=webp&width=720)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)