I.N.D.I.A., Centre at an impasse over SIR electoral roll revision

New Delhi: The stand-off between the government and the Opposition over discussing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar appears to be nowhere near de-escalation.

On a day I.N.D.I.A. MPs held a march from Gandhi Statue in Parliament House to the ‘Makar Dwar’ in the complex, the Opposition floor leaders in Lok Sabha were told that the precedence did not allow a discussion on Election Commission.

Sources also said the floor leaders’ attention was invited to a previous instance during Balram Jakhar’s tenure as Speaker when a demand by then senior CPI(M) MP Basudev Acharia to discuss the functioning of the Election Commission was not allowed. Jakhar was Speaker between January 1980 and November 1989.

At the meeting convened by Speaker Om Birla on Friday, Trinamool Congress Deputy Leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was among the leaders who raised the demand for a discussion on SIR though the government did not show much interest.

It was made clear to the leaders that SIR cannot be discussed as the EC is a Constitutional body and it cannot respond to issues raised about the exercise in Parliament. The government reasoned with the leaders about the impropriety in the government responding on the EC’s behalf, sources said.

Sources also said the floor leaders’ attention was invited to a previous instance during Balram Jakhar’s tenure as Speaker when a demand by then senior CPI(M) MP Basudev Acharia to discuss the functioning of the Election Commission was not allowed. Jakhar was Speaker between January 1980 and November 1989. 

Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi said the government is not clarifying whether there will be a discussion in Parliament on the SIR or not and is "hiding behind technical reasons". 

The government is giving the excuse that if the electoral process is underway and is being carried out by the Elections Commission, then who will respond to the questions, he claimed. 

"We didn't raise the Pahalgam and Operation Sindoor issue in the House as we had demanded that PM Narendra Modi should be in the House during that, but he is abroad and it was not possible. We were demanding that the Bihar SIR be discussed in the House, but the government is not clarifying whether this issue will be discussed in the House or not. They are hiding behind technical reasons," he said.