Oppn protests rolls revision in Bihar, stalls House business

NEW DELHI: Parliament on Tuesday witnessed a strong opposition offensive against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, with members across party lines forcing a washout of proceedings in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, and holding a sit-in in the Parliament complex.

INDIA bloc members Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Kanimozhi, TR Baalu, Misa Bharti, Manoj Jha, Kalyan Banerjee, KC Venugopal and a host of other MPs gathered at the main gate of the Parliament building, where they raised slogans against the SIR and demanded that it be scrapped.

At the meeting of the INDIA bloc in the chamber of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the opposition decided to take up the issue in the two Houses to ensure that the urgent concern of RJD was not overshadowed by the controversy over Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in the opening days of the Monsoon session.

The issue figured prominently in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that failed to transact any business. The opposition has listed Election Commission's electoral rolls review in poll-bound Bihar as its top priority alongside the terror attack for discussion. Congress whip Manickam Tagore said, "In the first half, LoP (in LS) Rahul Gandhi wanted to speak but he was not allowed, just like Monday. We want a discussion on SIR which is a govt conspiracy to take away the right to vote of the poor."