Malappuram: Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) political affairs committee chairman Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal has sought explanation from national general secretary P K Kunhalikkutty on his absence in Lok Sabha during the debate on triple talaq bill.

Party workers and followers had come heavily on the Malappuram MP for skipping the crucial session when the Lok Sabha debated and passed the bill.

The move is a rarity in IUML, especially as it involves Kunhalikkutty, who enjoys considerable clout in the party.

The IUML is in a way party admitting that the national general secretary's absence is a failure considering the importance of the bill.

According to party sources, Kunhalikkutty was attending a wedding in Dubai.

His flight was delayed and the MP has launched a complaint with the Civil Aviation minister against Air India.

The lapse has provided an opportunity for his political detractors including higher education minister KT Jaleel, who had been facing nepotism charges.

The murmers of dissent within the LDF against admitting the Indian National League (INL) into the front has also faded into the background due to this controversy.

Jaleel said that Kunhalikkutty should quit the post as he has done injustice to the Muslim community.

On Saturday, National Youth League, the youth outfit of the INL, also held a protest march against Kunhalikkutty.

LS Debate

The triple talaq bill criminalising instant divorce by Muslim men was passed by Lok Sabha after a heated debate, with the government projecting it as a matter of humanity and justice for Muslim women, and rejecting the contention that it was aimed at targeting a particular community.

The Opposition, including the Congress, objected to many of its provisions as 'unconstitutional' and claimed that its real purpose was not to empower Muslim women but to penalise Muslim men. The opposition demanded that the revised legislation to be sent to a joint select committee of Parliament for greater scrutiny.

With the government rejecting the opposition demand, the bill was put to vote and passed after an over five-hour debate with 245 members voting in its favour and 11 against it.

Fate of the bill

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill was passed by LS in December 28 last year but got stuck in the Upper House amid protest by opposition parties.

The government had then cleared some amendments, including introduction of a provision of bail, to make it more acceptable. However, as the bill continued to face resistance in the Rajya Sabha, the government issued an ordinance in September, incorporating the amendments.

The fresh Bill to make the practice of triple talaq among Muslims a penal offence was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 17 to replace the ordinance. Under the proposed law, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void, and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband.

However, the bill's fate remains uncertain as it will now go to Rajya Sabha, where the government lacks numbers. The bill cannot become a law unless passed by both Houses.

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