In a veiled attack at Samajwadi Party (SP), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the Union Cabinet has taken this decision to increase the marriage age of women from 18 to 21 years in the interest of women but it has caused pain to some people.
Addressing people at the launch of 'Kanya Sumangala Yojana' in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, the Prime Minister said, "Union Cabinet has taken a decision to increase the age of marriage of women from 18 years to 21 years. We are making efforts to make this happen as the women want that they should get time to pursue their studies, to get equal opportunities."
"The country is taking this decision for the sake of daughters. But everyone is seeing who is having problems with this it has caused pain to some."
Meanwhile, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani on Tuesday introduced The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha.
The Bill seeks to raise the age of marriage of women from 18 years to 21 years.
Earlier, two Samajwadi Party MPs ST Hasan and Shafiqur Rahman Barq slammed the government for bringing the bill to increase the marriage age for women.
Hasan had said that girls should be married when they attain the age of fertility. He said, "If a girl is mature at 16, she can get married at 16. If she can vote at 18, why can't she get married?"
Expressing a similar view on this issue, Shafiqur Rahman Barq said that India a poor country and everybody wants to marry off their daughter at an early age.
However, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from his party MPs' statements and said SP is a progressive party and has nothing to do with these remarks.
Earlier on Friday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the Central government for their decision to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 and termed it "ridiculous".
Taking to Twitter, Owaisi had said that both men and women should be allowed to legally marry at 18 as they're treated as adults by the law for all other purposes.
Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh are slated for early next year.
( With inputs from ANI )
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