Centre wants Sonia, Mamata, Maya to back triple talaq bill

​New Delhi: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday urged senior women leaders from the Opposition to "go beyond" the political divide for the passage of the Bill on banning instant triple talaq stuck in the Rajya Sabha, even as the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs decided to hold the monsoon session of Parliament from July 18 to August 10.

During the session, which will have 18 working days, the Union government is expected to push for Bills, including those related to triple talaq and constitutional status for the National Commission for Other Backward Classes.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar appealed to all political parties to "constructively cooperate with the government" to make the session productive.

The minister said the election to the post of Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha would also be held during the session as the term of P J Kurien is ending this month.

Responding to a question on the fate of the triple talaq bill pending in the Upper House since January, the Union Law Minister said the government remains committed to enact the law. "...I appeal to Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati, they are influential women, on the issue of triple talaq.

We need to go beyond political divide," he told reporters at a press conference. He said the Bill is an issue of gender equality and gender justice for the government.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill gives power to the victim to approach a magistrate seeking "subsistence allowance" for herself and minor children in the case of instant triple talaq.