After triple talaq, the BJP has trained its gun on the issue of polygamy. If sources in the party are to be believed, the central leadership has asked its state units to evaluate the possibilities of getting dividend of Muslim women’s votes if it harps on the other “draconian law”of Muslim culture, the first being triple talaq.
The women's wing of West Bengal BJP has already given its affirmation in favour of such a movement. Said Locket Chatterjee, president of West Bengal women’s BJP cell, “Yes, we will now take up the issue very seriously. We never expected that the triple talaq would give us so much mileage. Now we are sure that polygamy would give us similar dividends.”
According to Muslim law, a man can get married four times. Sharia allows a man to retain all four wives and he is bound to give them shelter and equal rights. However, not only Muslims but there are also plenty of tribes, particularly in northeast or even in Jharkhand’s jungles, where a man could get married more than once.
The issue, therefore, could boomerang.
But, in West Bengal, BJP is non-committal.
“Yes there is a demand from a women’s section in our party to begin the movement against polygamy. In our state, only Muslim women are deprived by it. So, we will take it up as, in Bengal, it’s not the tradition and many Muslim women told us that it’s nothing but immoral,” said Biswapriya Roychowdhury, vice president, BJP, in West Bengal.
Ishrat Jahan, one of the women who moved the Supreme Court against triple talaq, also feels that polygamy should have become history long back. “Two things—triple talaq and polygamy—are closely linked to each other. Muslim men divorce their wives, who protest their second marriage. If you go through the reasons behind the triple talaq, you will find in 90 per cent cases, polygamy is the reason,” Ishrat told THE WEEK.
“Those who would like to give talaq just to get remarried, should be put behind bars. Law should take stern action,” said the woman, who recently joined the BJP in West Bengal.
Ishrat Jahan has joined the BJP in West Bengal | PTI
But polygamy is an issue beyond triple talaq. It’s about a woman’s acceptance of the fact that her husband is living with another woman apart from her.
“Is it at all moral? It’s same as behaving like a beast,” said Ishrat.
BJP, however, does not want to link triple talaq with polygamy.
Said Chatterjee, “It’s better to get divorced than to remarry. But we would like to say that talaq is not cruel. Even women should have been given the right to accept the divorce call of her husband or she should have the right to divorce her husband in case he is cruel. Talaq cannot be one-sided.”
Sahansha Jehangir, national secretary of the IUML, said that in upper classes, polygamy has almost become history.
“It’s a vice which happens in lower and underprivileged sections because of lack of education. Again such things could be done away by awareness,” he said.
A member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, on the condition of anonymity, said that Sharia approves polygamy and it’s based on science.
“This has been done so that men don’t become corrupt. You will find often men in other religion are accused of infidelity. But in Islam, he has given been given the right to marry twice to four times if has the ability to support his wives. Talaq for remarriage is not at all approved by Sharia,” he said.
With Muslims having 30 per cent vote share in Bengal, the BJP has understood that it would not be able to come to power without having a share of Muslim votes. So, it will use polygamy after triple talaq to win over the sizeable Muslim women population.
“If others feel we are politicising the issue, let it be. We would like to do politics for good things,” Chatterjee remarked.
