Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday clarified that the government is ready to discuss any issue as per rules, but special intensive revision (SIR) cannot be discussed as it is a constitutional body, the process to be processed by the Election Commission of India. Rijiju told ANI that I want to clarify that the government is ready to discuss any issue as per the rules. SIR cannot be discussed because it is a process done by a constitutional body, and this is not happening for the first time.
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Another day of the monsoon session, due to the demand of the opposition, went without any action that the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists should be discussed in both houses. Although Rijiju insisted that the presidents of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have to take a decision on the issue, but the official sources are indicating that the government is unlikely to bow down to the opposition on the issue, against which all the parties of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are united.
Rijiju said that SIR is part of the Election Commission’s scope. He said, “This is not the first time that the Election Commission is doing this. Whether or not the Parliament can discuss the administrative functions of the Election Commission, it is to decide the Chairman as per the rules.” He said that the ministers related to the issue involved in the discussion usually respond to the concerns raised by the members, and wondered who can do this in the case of the constitutionally autonomous body, Election Commission. He said that which is not compatible with the rules and tradition, cannot be discussed.
The monsoon session of Parliament was interrupted due to opposition from the opposition over special intensive revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar. The opposition alleges that the SIR aims to deprive voters in Bihar before the assembly elections. He claims that this process of removing the names of voters on a large scale may be motivated by politics, in which marginalized communities and migrants are being targeted.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of trying to intervene in the voter lists of Bihar. The government has defended the SIR process, stating that this is a transparent process which includes the participation of all political parties and comprehensive public participation. The Election Commission of India insisted that the names would not be removed without proper information and written order. The Election Commission is about to publish the draft voter list for Bihar, under which claims and objections can be filed by September 1, 2025.
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Opposition MPs, including the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, have submitted a postponement motion and Rules 267 notices in both houses demanding a discussion on the SIR issue. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were postponed several times due to the opposition’s slogans and protests. Earlier, Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday and raised the issue of special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list in the election state Bihar.