Consult Muslims, stakeholders: Cong

AMID A raging debate over triple talaq and a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about addressing the concerns of Muslim women, the Congress said on Monday that if any religious practice is “contrary to modern times”, the effort should be to end it, with the consent of the community and by taking all the stakeholders into confidence.

While the party said it supports gender justice and women’s rights, it did not speak out against the practice of triple talaq. It only said that an atmosphere of trust and confidence needs to be built for changing the personal law of any community.

“Congress stands for gender justice. We stand strongly and fully for Muslim women also... The Supreme Court is actively seized with the matter. The matter is sub-judice. Everybody, opponents or proponents, have displayed clear unequivocal intent to abide by the SC verdict. There is no reason to muddy the waters before that verdict. There is no reason to preempt it, influence it, overpower it, sensationalise it before the verdict,” said party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.

Stating that the party has been at the forefront of reforms, he referred to the Hindu code Bill enacted by the Jawaharlal Nehru government in the 1950s and right to inheritance law enacted by the UPA government.

He said several Muslim bodies have said the manner and practice of the “offending part of triple talaq” is contrary to Sharia and Quran.

“What more I can say, what more I should say. They have shut their ears because they want to playpoliticswithit,”singhvisaid, reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remarks that those maintaining silence on the “burning issue” of triple talaq are as “guilty” as those practising it.

Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala said the BJP is using the issue to divide society. “Whatever bethepersonalreligiouspractices of any religion, there is a need to sit together to try and imbibe them in the modern times. An atmosphere should be created first. If any religious practice is contrary to modern times, then effort should be made to eliminate it with their (the community’s) consent. All stakeholders must be taken into confidence,” he said.