'EPIC' row in Parliament: Kharge leads walkout from RS after demand to debate 'faulty' voter issue rejected

New Delhi: Parliament on Monday witnessed vociferous demands for a discussion on 'faulty' voters’ lists with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi raising the demand in Lok Sabha and his Rajya Sabha counterpart Mallikarjun Kharge leading a walkout after the demand for an immediate debate on ‘EPIC’ issue was rejected.

Against the backdrop of the ‘EPIC’ issue (instances of multiple Electoral Photo Identity Cards bearing identical numbers), Rahul said during the Zero Hour that the entire opposition has been demanding a discussion on voter lists.

“We accept your (Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla) remarks that the government does not make voter lists. But we demand a discussion on the issue. The voter lists are being questioned across the country. Questions have been raised by the opposition in one voice in every state, including Maharashtra,” he said.

His remarks came as senior Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy raised the ‘EPIC’ issue and claimed there were flaws in the voter lists. He said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has pointed out that voters with the same EPIC numbers were present in Murshidabad and Burdwan Parliamentary seats and in Haryana.

“There are some serious flaws. This has been pointed out with respect to Maharashtra, which had inflated voter lists. This was pointed out in Haryana. They are now trying to jump into West Bengal and Assam where elections are due next year. Let the total voter lists be thoroughly revised. The Election Commission should answer why some mistakes occurred in the lists,” he said.

Trinamool Chief Whip Kalyan Banerjee said, “faulty voter lists are a serious concern…There are no transparent and fair elections happening in the country.”

In Rajya Sabha, Opposition MPs demanded an immediate discussion on the 'EPIC' issue but were disallowed, leading to a walkout. Leader of the House JP Nadda said the government is ready to discuss any issue.

Kharge was initially allowed to speak but as he mentioned the ‘EPIC’ issue, Deputy Chairman Harivansh refused to allow him to make his remarks, saying the notices were rejected. Opposition MPs shouted slogans against the rejection of notices and announced a walkout from the House.

Trinamool Congress MPs Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose and Congress’ Pramod Tiwari and Ajay Maken Congress submitted notices demanding discussions over the alleged lapse by the EC on the EPIC issue.

Condemning the Opposition’s “irresponsible behaviour”, he claimed that the continuous submission of notices under Rule 267 to suspend business to take up a discussion was a "vicious design to demean the institution of Parliament".

Suggesting that the opposition MPs, including Kharge, should go for a refresher course on the rules of the House, Nadda alleged, “they are not interested in debate. They want to give an impression that the government does not want to answer queries or enter into a debate.”

“The government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to discuss anything under this roof. But there are certain rules and regulations for debates in the House. We are ready for that discussion. There is a provision for short duration discussions and there is a provision for long duration discussions. They don’t read the rules,” Nadda said.

Twelve notices on various issues were submitted, including DMK's Tiruchi Siva and P Wilson, CPI's P Santosh Kumar and PP Suneer and Vaiko (MDMK) demanded discussions on concerns regarding the upcoming delimitation exercise in the southern states.

AAP's Sanjay Singh demanded a discussion on the financial loss incurred by the small investors due to the continued decline in stock market indices and Ramji Lal Suman (Samajwadi Party) over a statement made by US President Donald Trump on American funding to increase voter turnout in India. V Sivadasan (CPI-M) wanted the House to immediately take up the issues faced by anangwadi and mid-day meal workers.