Relentless Opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar brought proceedings in both Houses of Parliament to a halt on Friday, forcing repeated adjournments and eventually a complete washout of the day’s business.
Shouting slogans like “SIR wapas lo” and “SIR pe charcha karo”, Opposition MPs disrupted proceedings throughout the day, demanding a structured debate on the Election Commission’s move to revise voter rolls in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls. Parliamentarians accused the Centre and the poll body of attempting to disenfranchise voters and manipulate electoral rolls, a charge both institutions deny.
In the Lok Sabha, the disruption began soon after the House convened at 11 am, with Opposition members storming into the Well, displaying placards, and raising slogans. Speaker Om Birla, after paying tributes to former MP and Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik and commemorating the Quit India Movement anniversary, adjourned the House till noon when the ruckus continued unabated.
The protests escalated later in the day, prompting TDP member Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair at 3 pm, to strongly object to MPs banging on the Speaker’s table. “Yeh dhol nahi hai (this is not a drum). You cannot bang the table like this,” he said. The House was then adjourned for the day.
Also read: Parliament adjourned after disruptions, bills sail through
Before the adjournment, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman formally withdrew the Income-Tax Bill, 2025, following the submission of the Select Committee report. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed disappointment at the Opposition’s conduct, stating, “It is unfortunate that opposition parties are wasting time when private member bills were to be taken up.”
The Rajya Sabha saw a similar fate. Proceedings were initially suspended till noon after Deputy Chairman Harivansh rejected 20 notices under Rule 267 submitted by Opposition MPs seeking suspension of business to discuss the SIR issue.
“It’s interesting to note that members are often giving suspension notices to discuss a wide variety of subjects,” Harivansh observed, brushing aside demands for immediate discussion.
When the Upper House reconvened, the din continued. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari attempted to raise the issue of “vote theft” in a Karnataka constituency, alleging serious discrepancies in electoral rolls. He was not allowed to speak, prompting further sloganeering from Congress and other parties.
Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu responded sharply, accusing the Opposition of hypocrisy and asserting, “Chor machaye shor.” With chaos unrelenting, the House was adjourned for the day shortly after noon.
The SIR row has dominated political discourse in recent weeks, particularly after similar exercises in states like West Bengal drew accusations of targeted voter deletion. The Election Commission maintains the revision is aimed at cleaning up electoral rolls and ensuring no booth exceeds 1,200 voters.
With the impasse showing no signs of resolution, both Houses will reconvene next week amid heightened political tensions.
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