Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday joined fellow INDIA bloc MPs in a protest at Parliament against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls underway in poll-bound Bihar, which the opposition has described as an “attack on democracy.”
The protest, now in its fifth consecutive day, was held at Makar Dwar on the Parliament premises. Key leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and several senior Congress MPs were seen participating in the demonstration.
Carrying placards and a banner reading “SIR – Attack on Democracy,” the MPs marched from the Gandhi statue and raised slogans like “Modi Sarkar Down Down” and “Stop the attack on democracy.” In a symbolic act of dissent, they tore down posters representing the SIR process.
Kharge told reporters, “We are fighting against that only (Special Intensive Revision exercise).”
Speaking at the protest, Priyanka Gandhi slammed the Election Commission for failing to share updated voter rolls with political parties.
“There should be transparency. It is a democracy. Why are political parties being denied access to the updated voter list?” she questioned.
Earlier, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi directly warned the Election Commission, saying,
“If you think you’re going to get away with it, you’re mistaken… we are going to come for you,” accusing the panel of cheating in voter list revisions.
The ECI, responding to similar allegations in Karnataka, urged complainants to await a High Court verdict, while the state’s Chief Electoral Officer stated that no formal appeals were received regarding wrongful additions or deletions.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and Samajwadi Party, claim the SIR process in Bihar is aimed at disenfranchising marginalised voters, alleging that names are being selectively removed to influence the upcoming Assembly elections.
