Oppn uproar over Bihar SIR halts work in Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
on Friday on the issue of
special intensive revision
(SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, with the
All India Trinamool Congress
(AITC) members walking into the well of the House and shouting slogans. Deputy chairman Harivansh ruled out a discussion on the
Bihar SIR
, saying the matter was sub-judice.
When the House met for the day, the deputy chairman announced that he had received 30 notices for suspension of listed work under Rule 267 to take up the SIR and other issues. He dismissed them on technical grounds but invited RJD member
Manoj Jha
, who had drawn the attention of the chair, to speak. When Jha tried to use this opportunity to speak on the SIR, the chair cut him short.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Please select course:
Select a Course Category
Data Science
Data Analytics
Degree
healthcare
CXO
Data Science
Healthcare
Technology
Finance
Management
MCA
PGDM
Others
Operations Management
Leadership
Digital Marketing
Cybersecurity
Artificial Intelligence
others
MBA
Design Thinking
Project Management
Product Management
Public Policy
Skills you'll gain:
Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation
Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques
Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis
Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI
Duration:
8 Months
IIM Kozhikode
Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Starts on
Jun 26, 2024
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Data Analysis & Interpretation
Programming Proficiency
Problem-Solving Skills
Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
Duration:
24 Months
Vellore Institute of Technology
VIT MSc in Data Science
Starts on
Aug 14, 2024
Get Details
AITC members trooped into the well of the House and shouted slogans to press for their demand for a discussion on the SIR. Members of the Congress and other Opposition parties were also on their feet and shouting slogans. Harivansh said the SIR was pending with the
Supreme Court
and the Election Commission of India was dealing with the issue, hence it couldn't be taken up for discussion in the House.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Morocco: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (Prices May Surprise You)
Sofas | Search Ads
Search Now
Undo
As the din continued, he adjourned the House till noon.
Vice chairman Ghanshyam Tewari chaired the proceedings at noon which began with the members resuming their protest. He called Vivek Tankha (Congress) to ask his supplementary question but the member spoke on the SIR. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tried to reply to the listed question but as the slogan shouting continued, Tewari adjourned the House till Monday.
Live Events
Earlier, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs L Murugan shared with the House the subjects agreed to in the Business Advisory Committee that would be taken up in the coming week.
The bill to extend the President's rule in Manipur under Article 356, which has been passed by the Lok Sabha, will be taken up. Two hours have been allocated for discussion on the issue. The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 will also be discussed. The government had issued an ordinance on it in June.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
44 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Constitution under siege, BJP attempting ideological coup: Sonia Gandhi
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the Constitution is "under siege" as the ruling BJP is using its power to dismantle the very framework it long opposed. She alleged that the BJP is seeking to bring an "ideological coup" by replacing our democratic republic with a theocratic corporate state serving the powerful few. In her special message read out at the day-long national legal conclave on 'Constitutional Challenges - Perspectives and Pathways', Gandhi said the Congress would oppose every attempt to undermine the Constitution in Parliament, in courts and on the streets, asserting that it is not just a political but an ideological commitment to defend every Indian's dignity. "Today, the Constitution is under siege. The BJP-RSS, which never fought for freedom or upheld equality, now uses its power to dismantle the very framework it long opposed," she said. "Their ideological forebears glorified Manusmriti, rejected the tricolour, and envisioned a Hindu rashtra, where democracy is hollow and discrimination is the law. In power, they've eroded institutions, criminalised dissent, targeted minorities and betrayed Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs and the working poor. "Now they seek to erase socialism and secularism, pillars of Ambedkar's vision of equal citizenship. This is not reform, but an ideological coup replacing our democratic republic with a theocratic corporate state serving the powerful few," the former Congress chief alleged. She stressed that India yearns for the inclusive, just and democratic nation envisaged by our freedom fighters and Constitution makers. "That is what the Congress party stands and fights for. We will oppose every attempt to undermine the Constitution, in Parliament, in courts, and on the streets. This is not just political, it is our ideological commitment to defend every Indian's dignity. I commend Abhishek Manu Singhvi and his team for reigniting this vital conversation. Our mission is clear - to reclaim the republic and protect the rights of each and every person," she said in her message. Gandhi said the Constitution is more than a legal charter and claimed that it is the moral foundation of our democracy, built on justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. Noting that the Constitution was shaped through the sacrifices and vision of the Indian National Congress, she said even before independence, the Congress imagined a Constitution "by Indians, for Indians". From the Nehru Report in 1928 to the demand for a Constituent Assembly in 1934, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru laid the groundwork and B R Ambedkar, as chairman of the Drafting Committee, gave form to these ideals. She said he warned that without social and economic justice, political democracy would be just a top dressing. "The Congress recognised this and acted on it, expanding rights, strengthening institutions, and upholding dignity and inclusion," she said.
Hindustan Times
44 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengal: Abhishek to address 9,000 TMC workers as BJP begins 4-day strategy meet
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is set to virtually address over 9,000 party leaders and functionaries on August 5, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a four-day organisational meet in Kolkata on Friday. Both parties are finalising their strategies before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise starts in West Bengal, ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is set to virtually address over 9,000 party leaders and functionaries on August 5 (HT Photo/Samir Jana) 'Banerjee is likely to lay out a strategy for party leaders on crucial issues including SIR and harassment of Bengali migrant workers in BJP-ruled states. More than 9,000 leaders and functionaries, right from a party MP to a panchayat leader, are expected to attend the virtual meeting,' a senior TMC leader said. Initially, Banerjee was supposed to virtually meet the workers on August 8. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has slammed the roll-out of SIR in Bihar, alleged that it was a ploy to surreptitiously introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and vowed that she would not allow SIR in Bengal. The chief minister, who is likely to visit Jhargram, Midnapore districts and north Bengal soon, had earlier asked Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to ensure that names of voters are not struck off from the electoral roll and people are not harassed. The state BJP unit kicked off the organisational meeting to strengthen booth-level networks and set up organisational committees, a BJP leader, requesting anonymity, said. 'Discussions would also be held on how the party leaders and functionaries would counter the TMC's narrative on issues such as the SIR,' he added. A senior party leader said that state BJP leaders would soon hit the roads to counter the TMC's false narrative on SIR. Also read: Terms of Trade| Migration, religion, language: Bengal's new political churn 'The SIR was last held in 2022. It is a continuous process. Efforts are being made to spread a false narrative to terrorise the people. We have already told the Hindus and Indian Muslims they have nothing to worry about,' BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said. The poll body in the state, meanwhile, has asked all political parties to submit the names of booth-level agents (BLAs) as part of the preparation for the possible rollout of the SIR in West Bengal. 'On the direction of the Election Commission of India (ECI), we have written to all the political parties in the state to appoint booth-level agents. The political parties have been asked to submit the list of BLAs, constituency-wise and district-wise, to us. We will send the list to the ECI. These steps are being taken as preparations for the SIR,' chief electoral officer of West Bengal (WBCEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal said. Also read: ECI releases 2022 Bengal SIR data amid speculation over electoral roll revision 'The BJP doesn't have the organisational strength to appoint BLAs in every booth across the state. On the other hand, the TMC and all the political parties were being asked to submit the names of their BLAs. This doesn't seem to be a routine order,' TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said. 'If a Constitutional body is not allowed to work freely, then its protectors would look into it. We all want an error-free voters' list and based on that, a free and fair election,' Bhattacharya said. This comes days after WBCEO's office released the data from the SIR of the electoral roll last conducted in West Bengal in 2022, a move seen as a precursor to the actual SIR exercise. The 2003 Bihar SIR data was published days before the ECI launched the fresh exercise to revise the electoral roll, on June 28, as a reference point for the submission of identification documents.
Indian Express
44 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Jaitley threatened me over farm laws… 2024 LS polls were rigged,' claims Rahul, draws BJP fire
Sharpening his attack against the Election Commission (EC), which he claimed was 'non-existent' amid alleged electoral 'malpractices', Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the Gujarat poll results had first triggered his 'suspicion' which, he alleged, was 'confirmed' by the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls. Speaking at the Congress's annual legal conclave in Delhi, Gandhi questioned the BJP's 'ability to win sweeping victories' and alleged rigging in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 'Right from 2014, I had a suspicion that there is something wrong… In fact, I had a suspicion in the Gujarat Assembly elections already… This ability to win sweeping victories… You will see with zero doubt how the election is stolen… You will see the shockwave that is going to go through the electoral system when we release this data,' he said, reiterating that 'It is literally like an atom bomb.' 'The truth is that the election system in India is already dead. Remember one thing – the Prime Minister of India is the Prime Minister of India with a very slim majority. If 10-15 seats were rigged – and we suspect actually, the number is much closer to 70, 80, 100 – he would not be the PM… We are going to prove to you… how the Lok Sabha election can be rigged and was rigged,' he said. Gandhi was referring to the BJP's 2024 Lok Sabha seat tally of 240, which was below the 272-seat majority mark. With its NDA allies, the BJP however formed the government for the third consecutive term. Gandhi also cited data collected by the Congress from an Assembly constituency in Karnataka, where the party checked the photographs and names of electors physically and found 1.5 lakh voters were allegedly 'fake'. Referring to the legal community as the 'backbone of the Congress', he called on lawyers to defend the Constitution against being 'systematically unravelled on every front', alleging that the EC as an institution had been 'obliterated and taken over'. Gandhi has been repeatedly attacking the EC in recent months. His remarks echoed those he made Friday, when he first claimed to have an 'atom bomb' of proof that the EC was 'stealing votes' for the BJP. Responding to Gandhi, the poll body said Friday, 'The EC ignores such baseless allegations being made on a daily basis and, despite the daily threats being given, asks all election officials to ignore such irresponsible statements and work in a fair and transparent manner.' Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told the conclave that India was going through 'a battle of ideologies'. 'While the Congress is protecting the Constitution, the BJP is attacking it. The soul of India is enshrined in the Constitution… We will protect the Constitution at all costs,' he said. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that 'a calculated, organised design' was at play 'to convert democracy into dominance, pluralism into polarity, and the Constitution into a convenience.' Gandhi also triggered a row with his comments on BJP stalwart and former Union minister late Arun Jaitley, whom he accused of 'threatening' him with 'action' if he continued taking on the Centre over the now-repealed farm laws. 'I remember when I was fighting the farm laws… Arun Jaitley ji was sent to me to threaten me. He said… 'If you carry on down this path, opposing the government, fighting us on the farm laws, we will have to act against you'. I looked at him and said, 'I don't think you know who you're talking to… because we are Congress people. We are not cowards. We are not going to bend',' Gandhi claimed. His remarks drew sharp rebuttals from the BJP and Jaitley's son Rohan, who called the statement 'in poor taste', asking the Congress leader to be 'mindful while speaking of those not with us'. 'Rahul Gandhi now claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws. Let me remind him, my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020. More importantly, it was not in my father's nature to threaten anyone over an opposing view,' Rohan said. BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh also criticised Gandhi, saying 'Only sick minds can misrepresent people who are not there with us anymore'. The Narendra Modi government had first brought the three farm laws through ordinances in June 2020. In September 2020, the government had replaced them with the Bills, which were passed by both Houses of Parliament. In the wake of farmers' sustained agitation against the three farm laws, which included a year-long protest at the Delhi borders, PM Modi announced their repeal in November 2021. Reacting to the BJP's criticism of Gandhi, Manickam Tagore, the Congress's whip in the Lok Sabha, said the LoP had 'actually referred to the Land Acquisition Act'. 'The truth is this: The meeting happened and Arun ji did what Rahul ji said. Kindly don't try to divert from the truth,' he claimed. Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said Gandhi may have taken the name of a deceased leader 'once' but Congress leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were mentioned by BJP leaders 'many times'. 'Their (BJP's) speeches start from there. PM Modi gave a speech on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, which began and ended with Pandit Nehru… Now they have got unsettled by the mention of Jaitley's name just once,' Baghel said.
