Watch | 'If a girl is mature at 16, she can get married at 16': Samajwadi Party MP opposes new legislation on increasing marriage age for females

The union cabinet has approved the proposal to increase the legal age of marriage of girls from 18 to 21 years. This big change has drawn many views across the political arena. Two Samajwadi Party MPs have now come under criticism over their remarks on increasing the legal age of marriage. One leader linked marriage age with fertility in women, the other justified early marriage age for girls because of the poverty in our country. And their party chief chose to distance himself from such remarks.

Key points

1.  "The fertility age of women ranges from 16-17 years to 30 years. Proposals for marriage start coming at the age of 16. If the marriage is delayed, there are two disadvantages: One is the possibility of infertility. The second is that children are not settled when one is ageing. When you are in your last decade or so of life, your children are still students. We are breaking the natural cycle," SP MP Syed Tufail Hasan told ANI.

2.  He further said, If a girl can vote at 18, why can't she get married ?, "I believe that when a girl is mature and attains the age of fertility, she should get married. 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?"

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3.  On quite the same line, the other SP MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq said, "India a poor country and everybody wants to marry off their daughter at an early age... I will not support this Bill in Parliament."

4.  Jaya Bachchan, who hails from the same Samajwadi Party,  had entirely different views. "This is a good decision. This will give a chance to the girls to study more. They will be able to enjoy their independence. They will also get better employment opportunities," she told  NDTV

5.  SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, however, has distanced himself from these regressive thoughts, and said, "Samajwadi Party has nothing to do with any such statements."

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6. Central government's move to increase the legal age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21, can be traced back to last year when PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech had mentioned the proposal and said, "This government is constantly concerned about the health of daughters and sisters. To save the daughters from malnutrition, it is necessary that they're married at the right age."