Congress MP slams EC, moves adjournment motion over SIR in Bihar

Parliament of India PIC/ PTI

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Friday submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, seeking a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out by the Election Commission in Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls, reported ANI.

Submitting the adjournment motion, Manickam Tagore sought an emergency discussion on SIR, describing it as "mass disenfranchisement of 65 lakh voters in Bihar - deliberate assault on the constitution and democracy by the Modi government using the Election Commission."

Calling the Election Commission a "tool" of the BJP government and an "enabler of electoral apartheid," Tagore urged the House to adjourn and take up the issue for discussion, reported ANI.

"Urgently take up discussion on the shocking and deliberate removal of over 65 lakh voters in Bihar by the Election Commission at the behest of the Modi Government, amounting to a direct assault on India's democracy, the Constitution, and the legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar," Tagore said, reported ANI.

"The Election Commission, which was once an independent guardian of free and fair elections, has today become a tool in the hands of the ruling regime, acting as an enabler of electoral apartheid," he added.

The Congress MP alleged that SIR is "state-sponsored voter suppression," targeting the poor, Dalits, OBCs, minorities, migrant workers, and youth in Bihar, as reported by ANI.

"The official confirmation of 65 lakh voter deletions in a single state, Bihar, is not mere revision. It is state-sponsored voter suppression targeting the poor, Dalits, OBCs, minorities, migrant workers, and youth. These are not errors; these are acts of political cleansing-executed in the name of "Special Intensive Revision" (SIRs) to selectively erase the democratic voice of the most vulnerable," he said in the motion.

"This is Manuwadi fascism in action, silencing the backwards and empowering the powerful. The intention is clear: to rig the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections and the future Lok Sabha Elections by excluding lakhs of poor voices," he added.

As reported by ANI, Members of Parliament from the INDIA bloc are set to protest in front of Makkar Dawar in Parliament on Friday at 10:30 am, demanding a discussion in both Houses on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, reported ANI.

At a meeting held on Thursday, the INDIA bloc parties unanimously decided to step up their protests against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, both inside and outside Parliament.

Their protest coincides with the Election Commission's scheduled release of Bihar's draft electoral rolls on Friday.

(Input from ANI)