Opposition stages protest outside Parliament over 'SIR' drive in Bihar

New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) Opposition parties on Tuesday staged a protest at the Makar Dwar of Parliament, against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise in Bihar, accusing the Centre of attempting to "snatch away the rights to vote," particularly those belonging to the downtrodden and marginalized families.

Opposition parties joined ranks to lodge protest against SIR. Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal along with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD MP Misa Bharti stood in protest, holding placards and demanding an immediate halt to the ongoing SIR process in Bihar.

The protest comes amid heightened political tension in Bihar, where Assembly elections are due later this year.

The Opposition has alleged that the SIR exercise is being used selectively and disproportionately and this will affect marginalised communities, potentially leading to large-scale voter list deletions.

Congress MP Imran Masood told IANS, "It is a direct attack on democracy."

RJD MP Manoj Jha told IANS, "Our demand is clear. We went to the ECI, but they did not listen to us. Then we went to the court, but the poll body did not listen to the court, also on someone's directions. Hence, we decided to protest here in the Parliament. This is a step to destroy the democratic system in Bihar."

However, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Maske slammed the Opposition over the protest and said, "They don't want a discussion. This is why they always create ruckus and do nothing productive."

Earlier on Monday, the Election Commission submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating that as of July 18, it had collected enumeration forms from 7.11 crore out of Bihar's 7.89 crore registered voters -- marking a coverage of 94.68 per cent.

The Commission said the process, which included accounting for deceased individuals, permanently shifted voters, and duplicate registrations.

However, the Opposition remains unconvinced, calling the SIR a "backdoor NRC" being carried out under the guise of electoral roll revision.

They allege that the Election Commission is operating with bias, favouring the BJP, and encroaching upon constitutional boundaries by acting as an arbiter of citizenship.

--IANS

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