People aged 18 can choose PMs but not marry?: AIMIM chief Owaisi

New Delhi: Lok Sabha MP and All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the Union Government on Friday for its decision to raise the minimum age for marriage for women from 18 to 21 terming it “ridiculous” and “paternal.” In a series of tweet, the Member of Parliament from Hyderabad wrote that if 18 year old men and women can enter into contracts, choose Prime Ministers and consent to to sexual relationships and live in partnerships then why cannot they choose their life partners. 

“Modi govt has decided to increase the age of marriage for women to 21. This is typical paternalism that we have come to expect from the govt. 18 year old men & women can sign contracts, start businesses, choose Prime Ministers & elect MPs & MLAs but not marry? They can consent to sexual relationships and live-in partnerships but cannot choose their life partners? Just ridiculous. Both men & women should be allowed to legally marry at 18 as they’re treated as adults by the law for all other purposes” he wrote.

He said despite having the law, child marriages were rampant, and but only 785 criminal cases of child marriage were recorded even when “every fourth woman in India was married before turning 18.” He further wrote that reduction in child marriages were due to education and economic progress rather than criminal law.

He targeted the Prime Minister and said, “If Modi was sincere, he would have focused on increasing economic opportunities for women. Yet India is the only country where women’s participation in the workforce is dwindling. It fell to 16% in 2020 from 26% in 2005.”

Owaisi emphasised on educational outcomes for women to ensure autonomous decision making. He alleged that 79% of the Rs 446.72 crore allocated as the budget for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was spent on advertising only.