AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has criticised the decision of the Narendra Modi government to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, naming it “ridiculous”. The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Union cabinet, and while it was received with great acclaim by several sections of the society, Owaisi has criticised it.
Owaisi said that both men and women should be allowed to legally marry at 18 as they are treated as adults by the law for all other purposes. He pointed out that in many US states, the marriage age is as low as 14. In UK and Canada, it is 16. In New Zealand, 16-19-year-olds can marry with parental consent. Owaisi said that if the Modi government was really concerned about the welfare of women, then they should increase the employment rate for women.
Owaisi also said that it is essential to improve the educational status of women to ensure autonomous decision-making for them, which is important for issues like marriage. He also said and alleged that 79% of the Rs. 446.72 Crores allotted for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao budget was spent on advertisements.