Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has strongly criticised the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman for dismissing the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. Ramesh questioned the Deputy Chairman’s selective reliance on a 1998 ruling by former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar, while allegedly ignoring a more recent and relevant ruling from the Rajya Sabha Chairman in 2023.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Ramesh remarked, “The Chair in the Rajya Sabha is a continuing entity in spite of the comings to and goings from it—both scheduled and unscheduled.”
He pointed out that the Deputy Chairman referred to Balram Jakhar’s 1988 ruling, which barred discussions in Parliament on matters related to the Election Commission, to justify rejecting a debate on the SIR issue. However, Ramesh cited a July 21, 2023 ruling by the current Rajya Sabha Chairman — whom he described as a “Modi appointee” — which explicitly stated that “Rajya Sabha is entitled to discuss anything under the planet except the conduct of a judge, unless it relates to a motion for removal.”
Ramesh further emphasised that the Chairman had clarified that the concept of sub judice was “totally misconceived”, suggesting that there was no valid procedural reason to disallow a debate on the SIR.
Labeling the SIR process as “votebandi and votechori,” Ramesh accused the government — specifically what he termed as “G2” — of using the Election Commission to manipulate the voter rolls in Bihar ahead of upcoming elections. He claimed similar efforts may follow in West Bengal, Assam, and other states.
“Why is the Rajya Sabha Chairman’s ruling of July 21, 2023, being so wilfully ignored?” Ramesh asked, asserting that the Opposition’s demand for a discussion is non-negotiable in both Houses of Parliament.
Leaders of the INDIA bloc are expected to meet today in the office of the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha to formulate a joint strategy. The Special Intensive Revision in Bihar has become a major flashpoint, with the Opposition alleging that mass deletions of voter names are being carried out under political influence.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have witnessed repeated adjournments over the Opposition’s persistent demand for a debate on the issue.
Congress MP KC Venugopal also criticised the Election Commission, accusing it of undermining democratic values and failing to remain neutral. “Names of many voters have been excluded from the list in Bihar. How can a fair democracy run like this?” he asked.
Venugopal added that the Congress plans to expose the Election Commission’s alleged malpractices at a protest event in Bengaluru on August 5.
