Supreme Court should decide triple talaq issue: Mayawati

Lucknow: BSP supremo Mayawati on Friday said the Supreme Court should decide the issue of triple talaq as per the Constitution to ensure justice for Muslim women.

"Our party wants the Supreme Court to take a decision on the issue of triple talaq as per the Indian Constitution, keeping the state and central governments out," she said while speaking at Ambedkar Jayanti function of the party here.

"From media reports, it does not seem that senior persons associated with the Muslim personal law boards are serious about Muslim women getting justice on the issue of triple talaq...We do not feel that the board will be able to ensure justice for Muslim women soon...The apex court should ensure justice for them," she said.

In October last year, Mayawati had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his stance on the issue, saying such matters should be left to the Muslim community and not be raked up, specially on election eve, for political gains.

"The prime minister and the central government instead of interfering in the issue of triple talaq should better leave it to the Muslim community to form a common opinion," she had said.

Raising a question mark on the functioning of the Yogi Adityanath government, Mayawati said its policies are hollow. The closure of slaughterhouses has forced those involved in its trade to knock the doors of the court, she said.

On demands to close down liquor shops in populated areas, she said her party supported it but termed as unfortunate the BJP government's silence on the issue for its economic gains and capitalist mentality.

They have maintained silence as they know that the areas where there are liquor shops are inhabited by Dalits, backwards and the poor among the upper castes whom this government wants to harm though liquor shops, she said.

On farmers' loan waiver, she said that loans up to only Rs one lakh have been waived off and this is a betrayal for people who were promised full loan waiver by Modi while campaigning for the recent Assembly polls.

"Farmers are sitting on dharna also in the national capital but the BJP government is not concerned about them," she said.

On the law and order issue, she said there was no improvement visible under the Yogi government and crime in the state is going on as before.
"(But) for diverting attention (from such issues) this government is using media to focus on probes into the works of the earlier governments," she said.

"Our party is not against probe in scams like the one relating to memorial construction but it should not be conducted with a casteist, religious mindset or for political vendetta," she said.

On the massive departmental reviews being undertaken by the chief minister, she said merely enacting laws, holding reviews or its publicity in media will not improve the lot of people.

She also lamented a lack of upkeep of the memorials and statues set up by her government in honour of great ideologues of her party. She also formed a five member committee of her partymen to inspect them and meet the Chief Minister in this connection besides making their report public through the media.

She also cautioned her party leaders not to meet BJP or other party MPs, MLAs or ministers for redressal of problems faced by their people or partymen and instead meet officials for the purpose.