Daily Bulletin: Row over triple talaq bill continues after LS nod; Narendra Modi to rally in West Bengal amid rath yatra uncertainty; day's top stories

Row over triple talaq bill continues: AIMPLB women wing urges RS to scrap draft law  The women wing of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday criticised the triple talaq Bill, which is likely to be tabled in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, stating that the “ill-drafted legislation gives a false sense of women empowerment”. AIMPLB Women Wing chief organiser, Dr Asma Zohra, told ANI, “We oppose and condemn the triple talaq Bill which is likely to be tabled for the second time in Rajya Sabha tomorrow (Wednesday). The ill-drafted bill may break marriages rather than empowering women. The government has not taken the stakeholders into consideration and brought this bill with communal intention. The marriage is a civil contract in Muslims and the bill is not going to help the Muslim women in any way.” [caption id=“attachment_3148120” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Zohra further criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not replying to AIMPLB president Maulana Rabe Hasani Nadvi’s letter regarding the loopholes in the bill. “Rather than this bill, there are several burning issues in our country that seek attention. Unfortunately, the prime minister has no courtesy to reply to a letter from the representative of 20 crores Muslim population. The government cannot take us for granted. We just cannot sit idle when a fundamental right is infringed upon by some bill, we have a right to religious freedom that’s why our voice needs to be heard,’’ she said. Rajasthan govt sets up panel to review decisions taken by previous BJP regime The Rajasthan government on Tuesday appointed three cabinets and one inter-departmental committee of ministers and officials for various matters, including reviewing the decisions taken by the previous BJP government in the last six months. Urban Development and Housing Minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal will be the coordinator of the committee set up to review the decisions taken by the previous government, headed by Vasundhara Raje, in the last six months. Energy Minister BD Kalla and Food and Civil Supply Minister Ramesh Meena will be the members of the committee. The inter-departmental committee of ministers and officers headed by Dhariwal will set the eligibility criteria of farmers claiming loan waivers, and also set the directions according to the loan waiver announcement. The committee will have six ministers as members, according to a release issued by the government on Tuesday night. The other committees will look into the issues of contractual employees in the government and finalising the governor’s speech in the upcoming Assembly session. EU, US denounce Bangladesh election violence, irregularities Western powers condemned election day violence in Bangladesh and described a range of other irregularities that marred a vote in which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s alliance secured more than 90 percent of parliamentary seats. The strongly worded assessments of the election from the United States and European Union could hurt the image of Hasina, who has been in power since 2009 and also ruled from 1996-2001. “Violence has marred the election day, and significant obstacles to a level playing field remained in place throughout the process and have tainted the electoral campaign and the vote,” the EU said in a statement, calling for “a proper examination of allegations of irregularities”. The United States, Bangladesh’s largest foreign investor, expressed concern about “credible reports of harassment, intimidation, and violence in the pre-election period that made it difficult for many opposition candidates and their supporters to meet, hold rallies, and campaign freely.” “We are also concerned that election-day irregularities prevented some people from voting, which undermined faith in the electoral process,” it said. PM to hold rallies in West Bengal amid uncertainty over BJP rath yatras  With its Bengal rath yatras stuck in legal tangles, the BJP’s state unit is planning two to three rallies of Prime Minister Modi in January and February. Ahead of the national polls, the BJP planned rath yatras that would have touched all 42 constituencies in the state. However, the saffron party’s plans got stuck in legal battles after the state government denied permission. “We are hopeful that the prime minister’s first rally might take place on 29 January. We have sent the schedule to Delhi. Nothing has, however, been fixed so far,” state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said. The prime minister’s first rally is expected to be held at the Brigade Parade ground in the heart of Kolkata. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also hold a rally at the same venue on 19 January, and has invited leaders of all Opposition parties in the country. Trump seeks end to govt shutdown, calls for talks with Congress leaders President Donald Trump on Tuesday invited Republican and Democratic leaders from Congress for a meeting to seek an end to the federal government shutdown now in its second week. The two sides have been stuck in an impasse, with Trump’s Democratic foes seeking a vote on spending bills to keep the government open — without addressing the hot-button issue of border wall funding — as soon as they take control of the House of Representatives, on Thursday. But the legislation’s future appears uncertain, as it does not contain funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border, as demanded by Trump. However, Trump appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone seeking to bring Democrats to the table after acerbic remarks over the weekend. “Border Security and the Wall ’thing’ and Shutdown is not where Nancy Pelosi wanted to start her tenure as Speaker! Let’s make a deal?” he tweeted. US media reported the lawmakers were invited to a session at the White House, though it was unclear who would attend, and whether any Democrats would be present. US fires tear gas across Mexico border to stop migrants US authorities fired tear gas into Mexico during the first hours of the new year to repel about 150 migrants who tried to breach the border fence in Tijuana. US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement later Tuesday that the gas was used to target rock throwers apart from the migrants who were trying to cross. “No agents witnessed any of the migrants at the fence line, including children, experiencing effects of the chemical agents, which were targeted at the rock throwers further away,” the statement said. An Associated Press photographer saw at least three volleys of gas launched onto the Mexican side of the border near Tijuana’s beach that affected the migrants, including women and children, as well as journalists. The AP saw rocks thrown only after US agents fired the tear gas. The, US customs body, however, said that agents saw “toddler sized children” being passed over concertina wire with difficulty. It said its agents could not assist the children because of the rocks being thrown. Agents responded with smoke, pepper spray and tear gas, it said. The AP journalist also saw plastic pellets fired by US agents.