Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas on Saturday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for claiming that the Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 would legitimize child marriages and said that the state government is against child marriages while the saffron party is twisting issues.
The Rajasthan Assembly on Friday witnessed a debate and an opposition walkout after the assembly passed the new bill by voice vote to amend a 2009 Act on compulsory registration of marriages including child marriages within 30 days of the marriage.
The new bill includes cases of compulsory registration of marriages between the bridegroom who has not completed 21 years and the bride who has not completed 18 years of age.
"Even we are against child marriage. The BJP just wants to twist the issues and create a bad atmosphere in Rajasthan. The BJP's campaign is straightforward: they don't want to work; they don't want to give livelihood," said Pratap.
"BJP is trying its best not to let the Vidhan Sabha work. Congress tried its best to let the Assembly work. Where was it for two years? Today it is staging a drama," said the Congress leader.
Ram Lal Sharma, a BJP leader said, "If child marriage is banned then how can they include child marriage under this bill? All this is done by Congress for vote bank politics."
Commenting on the criticism of the new bill, MLA Shakuntala Rawat said, "Child marriages take place in villages so through compulsory registration, such marriages will be stopped. In services, such certificates are required."
"A lot of people run at the lost moment to get such certificates made. A lot of people take divorce and do not get their status updated in the service record books, hence this law is helpful," said Rawat.
Commenting on the discretion of the collector to take action against the child marriages granted by the new bill, Rawat added, "In the villages, there are a lot of group conflicts, hence a party can give a wrong claim about the other party that child marriage has happened, hence the collector has been given this power to investigate and then take action accordingly,"
"As a woman, I support this bill," said Rawat.
( With inputs from ANI )
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