If triple talaq is essential to Islam, why is it absent in Muslim majority countries: PM Modi

Speaking at an event called ‘Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot’, Modi said, “Today we are witnessing how people are trying to provoke others in the name of a Uniform Civil Code. If there is one law for one family member and another for another family member in a household, can that family function smoothly? How can a country function with such dual systems? We must remember that the Indian Constitution also speaks of equal rights for citizens.”

“These people who accuse us… are the ones who create divisions between Hindus and Muslims,” he said, adding: “If they genuinely cared about the welfare of Muslims, Muslim brothers and sisters would not lag in education and employment, and they would not be forced to live a life of hardships. The Supreme Court is saying, bring a Uniform Civil Code, but people hungry for vote bank politics are the ones causing difficulties for our marginalised Muslim brothers and sisters.”

His comments were in response to a question by a UP-based booth worker, Rani Chaurasiya, who had asked Modi how to clear misconceptions about triple talaq and the UCC among the Muslim community.

On triple talaq, the PM said, “I think we need to study a little to understand that those who speak in favour of triple talaq, advocate for triple talaq, these vote-hungry individuals are causing great injustice to Muslim daughters.”

Modi said the “damage caused by triple talaq is not limited to daughters alone, its scope is even greater”.

“Sending a daughter to her marital home with many aspirations and then divorcing her by saying triple talaq after 8-10 years, what will happen to those parents whose daughter returns home? The brother, the father, all of them become so sorrowful and worried about the daughter. So, it is incorrect to say that triple talaq is an injustice only to daughters. The entire family gets destroyed because of it,” the PM said, adding that if triple talaq was related to Islam, a majority of Muslim countries would not have abolished it.

“I was in Egypt two days ago. Egypt has over 90 percent Sunni Muslim population. The practice of triple talaq was abolished there 80-90 years ago. If triple talaq was an essential part of Islam, why is it not present in Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Bangladesh and other Muslim-majority countries? Some people, by hanging the noose of triple talaq over Muslim daughters, always want to have the licence to oppress them… I know that’s why my Muslim sisters and daughters are standing with the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi. Indian Muslim brothers and sisters also need to understand which political parties are ruining them for their own gains,” he said.

Pasmanda Muslims, he said, have been “subjected to such oppression, yet there has never been a discussion about it in the country”. “They still do not receive equal rights and are considered untouchables… However, BJP is working with the spirit of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’… When BJP workers visit Muslim brothers and sisters with these facts and arguments, they will explain it to them in a better way and dispel their misconceptions as well.”

Modi also took aim at the opposition meet in Patna: “These days, a new word is becoming very popular. That word is guarantee. It is the responsibility of BJP workers to inform people about the guarantee of the opposition. All these parties guarantee corruption… A few days ago, there was a photo session program for this. If you look at the parties participating in it, you will realise they collectively guarantee scams worth at least Rs 20 lakh crore.”

He said that if they have a guarantee of scams, even he has a guarantee. “I guarantee that there will be action against every corrupt individual. There will be action against every thief and looter. Those who have looted the poor, those who have looted the country, will be held accountable. Today, when the law is being enforced, when jail bars are visible, that’s when their jugalbandi (conniving) is taking place. Their common minimum program is to escape action against corruption.”

“You see, when a criminal comes back to the village after serving a sentence in jail, what is the attitude towards him? People who fear going to jail approach him, eager to know what jail is like. What could be better than Patna? Today, we are witnessing that many people who are out on bail, who are accused of scams and corruption, are meeting with such individuals. Those who are serving sentences or have experienced jail, they are trying to save each other,” Modi said.

“The anxiety of opposition parties and their actions clearly indicate that the people of the country have made up their minds to bring the BJP back in the 2024 elections. The resounding victory of the BJP is certain in 2024. That is why all these opposition parties are in a state of panic. They have decided to deceive the public, appease certain individuals, make false accusations, and attain power by any means possible a few months before the elections,” the PM said, adding that the BJP decided “not to walk the path of appeasement” since this “may bring benefits for a few days, but it is a great destroyer for the country”.

Instead of appeasement, the PM said “the right path is santushtikaran (satisfaction)”.

“Wherever the BJP is in power in the country today, we are dedicated to satisfaction… There will be no discrimination, no casteism, no nepotism,” he said.

Wrapping up his speech, Modi said: “If you want to ensure the development of Gandhi’s children, vote for the Congress. If you want to do good for Mulayam Singh’s son, vote for the Samajwadi Party. If you want to do good for Lalu’s family, vote for the RJD. If you want to do good for Sharad Pawar’s daughter, vote for NCP. If you want to do good for Abdullah’s family, vote for the National Conference. If you want to do good for Karunanidhi’s grandchildren, vote for DMK. You want to do good for Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter, vote for the TRS. But if you want to do good for your own sons, daughters, grandchildren, relatives, and your family’s children, then vote for the BJP.”