HIGHLIGHTS
• The bill sailed through Rajya Sabha where government is in minority
• Nitish Kumar's JDU, AIADMK walked out before voting
• PDP, TRS abstained from voting as well
NEW DELHI: The contentious bill to ban 'Triple Talaq', which failed the Rajya Sabha test last time, sailed through the opposition-dominated upper house on Tuesday aided by a series of walkouts and abstentions. The bill, which sought to end the practice of Muslim men instantly divorcing their wives by uttering "talaq" thrice, saw stiff opposition when it was presented in the Lok Sabha. But several of the parties that opposed it - including Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, AIADMK and K Chandrashekar Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi -- ended up aiding the bill's passage.
While the AIADMK and Nitish Kumar's party walked out, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Mehbooba Mufti's PDP abstained from voting, bringing down the majority mark.
A number of opposition lawmakers also gave the vote a miss. The list of absentees included Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel of the NCP, five lawmakers from the Congress, six from the Samajwadi Party, four from Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, one each from Trinamool Congress, Lalu Yadav's Rashtruya Janata Dal and MK Stalin's DMK.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, tweeted that it was a victory of gender justice.
"An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history! Parliament abolishes Triple Talaq and corrects a historical wrong done to Muslim women. This is a victory of gender justice and will further equality in society. India rejoices today!" PM Modi tweeted.
The bill was passed, with 99 votes in its favour and 84 against. Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who tabled the bill, said, "Today is a historic day. Both the Houses have given justice to the Muslim women. This is the beginning of a transforming India".
The smooth passage of a second contentious bill within a week marked a change in the government's fortunes in the upper house, where it lacks numbers.