By backing Triple Talaq Bill, Sonia could have washed off her husband's sins, says Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said that Triple Talaq Bill was an opportunity for Sonia Gandhi to wash off her husband and former PM Rajiv Gandhi's "sins."

Ravi Shankar while speaking exclusively to News Nation said, "Sonia Gandhi had the opportunity to wash off the sins of Rajiv Gandhi" by supporting Triple Talaq Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

The contentious Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill that makes triple talaq (instance divorce) or talaq-e-biddat a criminal offence failed to clear the Rajya Sabha hurdle as the winter session of the Parliament ended on Friday.

The Congress opposed the bill and stuck on its demand to send the bill to a Select Committee for scrutiny.

However, the party supported the bill in the Lok Sabha where it's opposition would have not mattered as the BJP has enough numbers.

Referring to 1986's famous Shah Bano case when Supreme Court's decision was overturned by the Parliament during Rajiv Gandhi's government, Prasad said, "From Shah Bano to Shayra Bano, the stand of Congress party on Triple Talaq Bill has not changed."

On Congress opposing the bill in the Upper House of the Parliament, Prasad said, “When the situation will change in the Rajya Sabha later this year, we will get the bill passed and the Congress will also support it in the Upper House like they did in the Lower House."

Prasad also criticised Congress leader Kapil Sibal for his arguments against Triple Talaq Bill and said his remarks will increase the vote bank of BJP and decrease Congress from 44 to 14 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Here are the excerpts: 

# We are not hurt by the Congress' stand on the triple talaq bill, but we want to expose the Congress party on the double standard they have shown in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. 

# They supported the bill in Lok Sabha openly without opposing the ammendments suggested by Owasi or demand for sending the bill to select committee. 

# What we are surprised is that the stand of the Congress doesn't seem to have changed since 1986 in the case of triple talaq, when the first petitioner was Shah Bano and today it is Shayara Bano. This is purely vote bank politics.

# First of all Kapil Sibal shouldn't speak about triple talaq bill, he was the counsel for All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). He correlated the triple talaq case with that of Ram Janmabhoomi.  

# As a lawyer what wrong have I said if there is substantial evidence which can win the case of Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute in our favour?  

# How long will the Congress stretch the 80 year old Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute? 

# I would like to appeal to Sonia Gandhi, that she missed a golden opportunity wash off the sins of her late husband Rajiv Gandhi. 

# The kind of comments made by Mani Shankar Aiyar against the Prime Minister are not only unfortunate but reveals his elitist and feudalistic mindset. 

# The only tweet that Rahul Gandhi did was that of Pidi eating biscuits. 

# I am afraid that seeing BJP's rise, some forces wants to devide India or want to project us in bad light. 

# When I was in jail during JP movement, all leftists said that JP and RSS are facist, what happened to them? Look at the growth of sangh and look at the leftists.