Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs to reach out to Muslim women, especially during the festival of Raksha Bandhan, an outreach related to his government’s decision to impose a ban on triple talaq that has, he said, bolstered a feeling of security among Muslim women.
He reportedly made these remarks at a meeting of NDA MPs from Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand on Monday night, a part of a series of meetings to be held by Mr. Modi with the 338 NDA MPs. The meetings are being held with a view to boosting synergy within the alliance, now expanded to 38 parties, in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“The remarks were made in the context of Prime Minister Modi stating that there was a need to connect with all sections of society,” an MP present at the meeting said.
The outreach to Muslim women is also to be seen paired with the emphasis on including Pasmanda Muslims in the BJP’s structure, alongside the appointment of former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor, Tariq Mansoor, as a national vice president of the party last week.
“While speaking of Muslim women, Prime Minister Modi said that the decision to ban triple talaq had been a big boost for Muslim women,” an MP said, adding that Mr. Modi had then asked them to organise programmes during Raksha Bandhan to reach out to women from the minority community.
The Rakshan Bandhan festival, a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters, will fall on August 30 this year.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill was passed by Parliament in 2019, declaring the practice of instant triple talaq illegal and a crime that could attract a jail term for the husband.
The BJP has divided NDA MPs region-wise into clusters of nearly 40 members, and Mr. Modi is expected to speak to them separately during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.
The first two meetings were held on Monday. Mr. Modi has also addressed a meeting of about 45 NDA MPs from western Uttar Pradesh, up to the Kanpur-Bundelkhand region.
