The only way to provide relief to Muslim women was to prohibit polygamy, said Dwarka Peeth Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati on Thursday, while opposing the triple talaq bill which was introduced in the Parliament last week.
A law on the lines of the Hindu Code Bill should be made to prohibit the second marriage in the Muslim community until the first wife was alive, he said.
"If the husband would be sent to the jail, from where his life partner would get the money to support herself?" the Shankaracharya asked.
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The Narendra Modi government introduced the fresh triple talaq bill in the Lok Sabha last week amid protests by opposition members who claimed that it was violative of the Constitution.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019 was introduced following a division of votes, with 186 members supporting and 74 opposing it.
Ram temple
The Shankaracharya lashed out at the Union government over the Ram temple construction, saying the BJP has been misguiding people over the issue.
“From the very beginning, the BJP has been misguiding people by creating an impression that it (temple) would be constructed only by them," he said.
The seer said the government cannot construct the Ram temple as it would be against the oath of secularism taken by every member of Parliament. “Only 'dharmacharyas' would construct the temple after the Supreme Court order,” he said.
The Centre had earlier sought direction to release 67 acres acquired land in Ayodhya out of which 0.313 acres is disputed.
The Allahabad High Court in 2010 had divided the disputed land into three parts for each of the parties—the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
