Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to reach out to Muslim women and celebrate the festival of Raksha Bandhan with them. He said this would help in creating a bond of trust and harmony among different communities. He also praised the NDA government for passing the bill to criminalize instant triple talaq, which he said was a historic step for women empowerment.
He further requested the MPs to spread awareness about the benefits of the bill and counter the misinformation spread by the opposition.
The PM made these remarks during a meeting of the NDA parliamentary party on Monday, August 1, 2023. The meeting was attended by senior leaders of the BJP and its allies, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, LJP leader Chirag Paswan, and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. The meeting was held to discuss the strategy and agenda for the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, as well as the preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Acording to some MPs who attended the meeting, the PM highlighted various development initiatives of the central government for different sections of society, such as farmers, youth, women, Dalits, tribals, and minorities. He also asked the MPs to work hard to ensure that the benefits of these schemes reach the people at the grassroots level. He said that the NDA government had fulfilled many promises made in its manifesto, such as providing free food grains to the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing the One Rank One Pension scheme for ex-servicemen, launching the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for 50 crore people, and building toilets and houses for millions of rural households.
The PM also spoke about the recent decision of the government to ban instant triple talaq, a practice that allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives by uttering “talaq” three times. He said that this decision had boosted the overall sense of security and dignity for Muslim women, who had been suffering from this injustice for decades. He said that this was not a matter of religion or politics, but of human rights and gender justice. He said that the government had taken this step despite facing stiff opposition from some parties and groups, who had tried to mislead and scare the Muslim community.
He then asked the NDA MPs to reach out to Muslim women, especially during the festival of Raksha Bandhan, which falls on August 30 this year. He said that Raksha Bandhan was a festival that celebrated the bond between brothers and sisters, and that it would be a good opportunity to show solidarity and support for Muslim women who had been freed from the shackles of triple talaq. He said that this would also help in bridging the gap between different communities and fostering social harmony.
The PM’s appeal was welcomed by many NDA MPs, who said that they would follow the advice and organise programmes to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with Muslim women in their constituencies. They also expressed confidence that this gesture would win over the hearts and minds of Muslim voters, who had traditionally been alienated from the BJP and its allies. They said that this would also expose the hypocrisy and falsehood of the opposition parties, who had opposed the bill on triple talaq in Parliament.
However, some critics and experts have questioned the PM’s motive behind his outreach to Muslim women. They have argued that this is a political move aimed at wooing Muslim voters ahead of the 2024 elections.
