The government will make a fresh push for the passage of the contentious triple talaq bill in Parliament's Budget Session starting on Monday but is likely to meet strong resistance from the Opposition, which had stalled it in the last session, political leaders here said. The session will open with the customary address of the president to a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Besides the budget priorities, it is the government's legislative agenda which is likely to witness strong protests from the Opposition. Besides the triple talaq legislation, which criminalises instant talaq by Muslim men, the government is also likely to make a pitch for the passage of the OBC bill, which seeks to give a constitutional status to the OBC commission. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill seeking imprisonment for Muslim men convicted of practising instant triple talaq, but a united opposition had stalled it in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA lacks a majority.

Source: dna January 28, 2018 09:45 UTC