PM Narendra Modi slams Kapil Sibal, speaks about triple talaq

GANDHINAGAR: A day after BJP chief Amit Shah attacked Congress for Kapil Sibal’s stand on the Ram Janmabhoomi case in the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Sunni Wakf Board on its stand on the matter. Sibal who represents one of the litigants had requested the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Ram Mandir case be taken up after July 2019.

Haji Mehboob of the Sunni Wakf Board said the board had distanced itself from Sibal’s stand as he was linked to a political party. Stating that his statement in the court on Tuesday was wrong, Mehboob said the Board wants a solution to the issue at the earliest.

Modi, while addressing a public meeting at tribal-dominated Dahod in central Gujarat, said: “I congratulate Sunni Wakf Board. They have done a great job. They have taken a stand for the unity of the country.” In another address in Dhanduka of Ahmedabad district, Modi attacked Sibal and Congress on the same issue.

“Yesterday in the Supreme Court, a Congress MP Kapil Sibal was arguing for the Babri Masjid,” Modi said. “He is entitled to do that, but is it right for him to say postpone hearing till 2019? Why does he have to link a Ram Mandir with elections. Is such thinking proper?” he asked.

Underling the fact that electoral considerations do not come in his way of taking decisions, Modi said: “When the triple talaq matter was in SC, the government had to put their affidavit. Newspapers commented that Modi will remain silent because of the UP polls. People told me not to speak on the matter, else there will be losses in the elections.”

“I was clear that on triple talaq, I will not be silent. Everything is not about elections,” he said adding the issue was for the rights of women and comes ahead of electoral considerations. He added the government is now bringing in a law with provisions for jail term to stop triple talaq.