NEW DELHI: Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday wrote to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh to allow discussion on the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it an “issue that is of paramount concern to crores of voters, especially those belonging to the weaker sections of the society”.Also Read | Bihar SIR: Over 65 lakh voters untraceable or duplicated; Election Commission flags deep irregularitiesIn a four-point letter to the Upper House Deputy Chairman, the Rajya Sabha leader of opposition said: “Opposition MPs have been repeatedly asking for an urgent discussion in the House right from the first day of the current session.”
Highlighting the ruling of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Kharge said the Chair had ruled that the House is “entitled to discuss everything under the planet with one restriction”, the restriction being “the conduct of any Judge of the Supreme Court or of a high court in the discharge of his duties” unless “a motion for presenting an address to the President praying for the removal of the judge”.“You will undoubtedly appreciate that the Chair is a continuing entity. You yourself have quoted rulings given by the Chair over the past many years in support of some of your decisions. It is clear from this ruling of the Chair that the Rajya Sabha is entitled to discuss the issue of revision of electoral rolls, which is of fundamental importance in our democracy,” Kharge wrote in the letter.Also Read | Parliament logjam over SIR: Congress says discussion on ‘votebandi’ non-negotiable; asks why ignore Dhankar’s 2023 ruling?Kharge said that the opposition MPs have repeatedly been asking for an urgent discussion in the House right from the first day of the current session.“It is clear from this ruling of the Chair that the Rajya Sabha is entitled to discuss the issue of revision of electoral rolls, which is of fundamental importance in our democracy,” he added.
Kharge’s letter to Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is a focused exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to verify and update voter records. This process involves house-to-house verification to identify and remove duplicate, deceased, or shifted voters, while also enrolling eligible new voters. Initiated this year, the revision in Bihar has sparked political uproar, with opposition parties alleging that the process is being used selectively to “disenfranchise voters from marginalised communities”. The ECI, however, has maintained that the revision is a routine and necessary step to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections.