After the Union Cabinet meeting on Wednesday passed a proposal to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21, several leaders of the Samajwadi Party have voiced their opposition. Akhilesh Yadav’s two MPs Syed Tufail Hasan and Safiqur Rahman Burke’s remarks sparked controversy. Hasan claims that “girls become eligible for marriage at the age of 18.” According to another MP, Safiqur, Indian parents want to marry a girl at a young age.
Opposing the legal move to raise the age of marriage for girls, Hassan told ANI, “Women can give birth to children between the ages of 18 and 30. There are two types of problems that can occur when you are older. First, the possibility of infertility. Second, aging before the child is established. Maybe when you reach the end of your life, your child is still a student! We are breaking the laws of nature. ”
On the other hand, Safiqur said, “India is a poor country. Everyone wants to marry their daughter quickly. If the Centre brings a bill for the age of marriage of daughters in Parliament, we will not support it. ”
However, Akhilesh Yadav wants to avoid controversy over the issue. “What they (Hassan and Safiqur) have said is their personal opinion, not the party’s position,” he said. In June last year, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Welfare formed a high-level committee. The committee submitted its report which was suggested that the minimum age for marriage should be 21.
