New Delhi: Leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, today (August 6) wrote a letter to deputy chairman Harivansh on behalf of all opposition parties demanding a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India in poll-bound Bihar.

Kharge’s letter came hours after members of the opposition INDIA bloc in a joint press conference demanded a discussion in parliament and announced that a protest march will be conducted on Monday (August 11) to the Election Commission.

“All parties have repeatedly told the Speaker, Deputy Chairman, and the government that the issue of vote theft in the SIR should be discussed in parliament. They wanted to inflate votes in Maharashtra, now in Bihar they want to cut votes. We have seen how they rigged the elections in Karnataka as well. They are deploying different tactics in different areas to influence elections,” said Kharge at the joint press conference.

“That is why we want a discussion in parliament so the irregularities that are coming up, and the vote theft that is being carried out in an unconstitutional manner can be addressed. So that voter's rights can be protected. If a voter’s name is not on the voter lists, then that person is not even a citizen. So they are trying to strip citizenship as well through this.”

In his letter to the deputy chairman, Kharge referred to former vice-president and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s ruling in June 2023 ruling in which he said that the House is “entitled to discuss everything under the planet with one restriction” which related to conduct of judges of a high court or the Supreme Court unless a motion of for their removal was before the House.

Kharge said that the chair is a “continuing entity” and therefore the Rajya Sabha is entitled to discuss the role of the Election Commission. Last week Harivansh had told the House amid continued protests from the opposition that a discussion on the SIR cannot be held as the Election Commission is an independent body and the electoral roll revision in Bihar is sub-judice in the Supreme Court.

“The Special Intensive Review of the electoral rolls is being undertaken by the Election Commission of India first in Bihar and to be taken up in West Bengal, Assam and other States. Opposition MPs have been repeatedly asking for an urgent discussion in the House right from the first day of the current session,” Kharge wrote in the letter.

“I, therefore, on my own behalf and behalf of the Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha, am writing to request you to immediately allow a discussion on this issue that is of paramount concern to crores of voters, especially those belonging to the weaker sections of the society.” 

Meanwhile parliament continued to see a logjam today as the opposition protests demanding a discussion on SIR was not paid heed to.

“We have been protesting against the SIR which is the silent intensive rigging exercise both inside and outside the House. We are going to carry out a march on the SIR on Monday which is snatching away people’s right to vote,” said TMC MP Sagarika Ghose at the press conference.

The joint press conference was also attended by Tiruchi Siva (DMK), John Brittas (CPIM), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena UBT), Manoj Jha (RJD) among others.

“Parliament is the space in a democracy where people’s concerns are raised. My colleagues are calling this vote theft but this is dacoity. The votes of Dalits, backward communities are being snatched,” said Jha.

“He (Election Commissioner) is brazenly acting on behalf of somebody who doesn't sit in Election Commission but decides how Election Commission functions. If we cannot protect people, democracy is not safe.”

Last week, opposition members in the Lok Sabha had also written a letter to Speaker Om Birla citing “widespread apprehension” and concerns about transparency, timing and intent of the process and demanded a discussion in the house.

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