"Attack on Democracy": INDIA bloc MPs protest at Parliament Makar Dwar against Bihar SIR

New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) MPs, for the fourth consecutive day, protested against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted by the Election Commission (EC) in poll bound Bihar. The MPs gathered at Parliament Makar Dwar, and called for a stop to the exercise.
The opposition parties have repeatedly called for a discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha regarding the revision exercise, moving adjournment motions everyday since the start of the monsoon session and alleging that manipulation of voter rolls is taking place under the guise of the SIR.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji, Deputy Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJ) MP Manoj Jha, among multiple other leaders attended the protest.
Carrying banner which read "SIR-Attack on Democracy," the MPs stood at Makar Dwar, demanding that the voter list revision is halted.
Earlier, Congress MP Manickam Tagore submitted an Adjournment Motion seeking discussion on the revision exercise, calling it an "act of mass disenfranchisement" which was nothing short of "institutional voter cleansing" orchestrated under the Modi Government.
Tagore further highlighted the SIR exercise as an attack on the legacy of Babasaheb BR Ambedkar, who "enshrined" universal adult franchise in the Constitution to empower citizens, irrespective of their caste, class or wealth.
Meanwhile, multiple party MPs in Rajya Sabha have moved adjournment motions in Rajya Sabha to discuss the issue.
Party leaders in the upper house, including Rajani Ashokrao Patil, Jebi Mather, Ranjeet Ranjan, Neeraj Dangi, Neeraj Dangi, and Akhilesh Prasad Singh have called for the house to suspend Zero Hour and Question Hour on Thursday to discuss the Bihar SIR.
Rajani Ashokrao Patil, while submitting the letter said that the actions of the poll panel has "sparked apprehensions about potential electoral manipulation."
Patil wrote in her letter, "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."
Meanwhile in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar Assembly's LoP, Tejashwi Yadav has also suggested the possibility of a poll boycott, saying that he may discuss it with alliance partners. (ANI)