A day after the Centre passed an ordinance criminalising instant triple talaq, state minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury on Thursday said the Quran Sharif was supreme and would prevail over any constitutional provision or law that contradicts it. A number of Muslim organisations in the state are planning to protest the ordinance, with many minority leaders saying they would not tolerate any interference in religious affairs.
“For us, our holy scripture, the Quran Sharif, is supreme and if any constitutional provision or any law contradicts the Quran, then our scripture will prevail and not the law or Constitution… BJP is playing the religion card and is playing with Constitution. The ordinance will have no effect on Muslims. No one will adhere to it, but will follow the religion and the holy book,” said Chowdhury, who is also the state president of the Jamiat-e-Islami Hind. He had earlier called the SC verdict on instant triple talaq “unconstitutional”.
“Whatever tricks BJP may play, they will not be able to influence Hindus or Muslims. In 2019, they are on their way out. The ordinance is just a way of winning Hindu votes, which they will not succeed. Hindus and Muslims will throw them out of power,” the state minister added.
Chowdhury said the BJP-led Centre should be concerned with rising violence against women.
“Every day, women and girls are being raped. Every day, women are being burnt and brutalised. What are they (BJP government at the Centre) doing? They are doing nothing about it. But for cheap vote bank politics, (they are) hurting the sentiments of Muslims,” he said.
Meanwhile, Muslim organisations are planning to protest against the ordinance.
“India is a pluralist, secular country but this ordinance brought by BJP is violating the fundamental rights of Muslims and also the Constitution. We will hold a meeting shortly to decide on our course of action,” said Md Kamaruzzaman, general secretary of the All India Minority Youth Forum.
However, the state BJP lauded the move by the Centre, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has helped Muslim women in the country by passing the ordinance.
“It was on the basis of the verdict of the Supreme Court that the central government had gone ahead to introduce the triple talaq bill, which has been passed by Lok Sabha. But, before it is passed by Rajya Sabha, Modi ji promulgated an ordinance because our Muslim sisters and mothers were clamouring for it. It is the blessings of the Muslim women that will give us strength,” said BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha.