The Rajya Sabha faced disruption again as Congress MPs moved notices under Rule 267, demanding a debate on the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar. Alleging voter suppression and potential electoral manipulation, opposition leaders staged protests inside and outside Parliament, urging the Election Commission to halt the revision drive.
Congress President and LoP in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge,with other MPs staging a protest
The chaotic and disrupted Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Tuesday as well. During the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, several Congress MPs moved notices under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha to discuss the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The Special Intensive Revision exercise is being carried out by the Election Commission (EC) in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections, while raising concerns over similar drives being planned in West Bengal and other states.
As reported by news agency ANI, Congress MPs Syed Naseer Hussain, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Ranjeet Ranjan, Neeraj Dangi, Rajani Ashokrao Patil, Ashok Singh, and Jebi Mather collectively moved notices under Rule 267. The MPs on Tuesday also demanded the suspension of house business to discuss the SIR drive in Bihar.
It has also been reported by ANI that Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan stated that the voter list revision in Bihar raises concerns regarding the "potential disenfranchisement of vulnerable sections of society," while calling for a discussion.
Congress MP Ranjan said in her notice, "That this House suspended Zero Hour and the relevant rules pertaining to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to discuss the concerns arising out of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar and its proposed expansion to states such as West Bengal. These exercises raise serious concerns regarding the potential disenfranchisement of vulnerable sections of society, who are likely to face significant challenges in complying with the Election Commission's directives within a limited timeframe," as cited by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Rajani Ashokrao Patil also highlighted that the SIR drive has "sparked grave apprehensions about potential electoral manipulation."
She further asserted, "That this House suspend Zero Hour and the relevant rules pertaining to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to discuss the concerns arising out of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar ahead of elections, as well as reports of a similar exercise being planned in West Bengal and other states. These actions have sparked grave apprehensions about potential electoral manipulation, particularly in view of concerns that had emerged in Maharashtra during the 2024 Legislative Assembly Elections," as per ANI.
Earlier in the day, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala issued a notice to suspend proceedings in the upper house of Parliament on Tuesday, demanding a discussion on the SIR.
Surjewala wrote to the Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha, stating that "I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) of my intention to move the following motion for the suspension of business listed for 29 July 2025."
Also, on Tuesday, the INDIA bloc MPs continued to protest the ongoing SIR, carrying up cartoon pictures showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi shackling Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar to himself. MPs from the INDIA group have been protesting the voter roll modification since the beginning of the monsoon session on July 21, both within and outside of Parliament.
Multiple political leaders, including Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Manickam Tagore, and Hibi Eden; DMK MP Kanimozhi; JMM MP Mahua Maji; and RJD MP Manoj Jha, protested in the rain ahead of today's Parliament session, holding up posters and requesting that the exercise be halted.
(With inputs from ANI)
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