SIR of Bihar electoral rolls echoes in Parliament as Opposition protests EC's move

New Delhi: The contentious Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar reverberated inside and outside Parliament on Tuesday with both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha failing to transact any business with Opposition MPs vociferously protesting against the Election Commission's move.

The MPs also staged a protest at the 'Makar Dwar' of Parliament House with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav among others joining them.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha erupted into sloganeering as soon as the Houses assembled with Congress-led Opposition MPs shouting slogans against the SIR, ignoring appeals by Speaker Om Birla and Upper House's Deputy Chairman Harivansh. Both the Houses were adjourned for the day at 2 pm after two earlier adjournments during Zero Hour and Question Hour.

All eyes were on Rajya Sabha as it was the first day after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation. Harivansh chaired the proceedings and informed the House that a vacancy has arisen in the post of Vice President while rejecting notices to suspend business to discuss SIR and inordinate delay by the government in publishing an ASI report Keeladi.

CPI's P Sandosh Kumar's notice to immediately discuss the "unexpected and unprecedented" resignation of the Vice President was also rejected.

Congress and other Opposition parties protested and demanded an immediate debate on SIR and rushed to the Well of the House, prompting Harivansh to adjourn the House till 12 noon. When the House reconvened for Question Hour, Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was chairing the proceedings, informed the House regarding a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs conveying Dhankhar's resignation with immediate effect and adjourned the House till 2 pm.

No business could be transacted at 2 pm also due to Opposition protest even as Harivansh called Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to move a motion for consideration of The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025, prompting the Chair to adjourn the House for the day.

In Lok Sabha, Opposition refused to heed to the appeals of Birla and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House till 12 noon. Chouhan appealed to the opposition MPs to go back to their seats so that the House can take up questions related to farmers during the Question Hour while Birla intervened and told them that sloganeering and showing placards lowered the dignity of the House.

The Zero Hour at 12 noon also could not function following protest with Jagadambika Pal, who was on the Chair, adjourning the House till 2 pm. When the House reconvened, the protest continued and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Double standards are wrong, first they ask for debate and then create a ruckus like this."

"Only the rule under which discussion will take place will be decided. They come here carrying placards and violate the rules, I condemn this. They are asking for a debate and we are ready for a debate but they are not allowing the House to function," he said.