New Delhi
Several MPs from the I.N.D.I.A bloc, including Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, staged a unique protest in the Parliament House complex on Friday against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar. The protest involved tearing posters with 'SIR' written on them and dropping them into a bin, symbolically rejecting the exercise.
The MPs, representing parties like Congress, DMK, TMC, RJD, Samajwadi Party, and the Left, also held a protest march inside the complex before the day's proceedings began. Carrying a banner that read SIR – Loktantra par Var (Attack on Democracy), they demanded a discussion on the issue and a complete rollback of the revision process.
In front of the Makar Dwar steps, a dustbin was placed where opposition leaders, including Kharge and Gandhi, tore their ‘SIR’ posters and dropped them in as a mark of protest. They also raised slogans like Save Democracy and Stop Vote-Bandi.
The opposition has been consistently voicing its concern in both houses, alleging that the Election Commission’s revision drive in Bihar aims to unfairly remove voters ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. They claim the exercise could be used to influence electoral outcomes and demanded immediate attention to what they describe as a threat to democratic rights.
The demonstration, though symbolic, was meant to highlight what the opposition calls an undemocratic move that needs urgent scrutiny and public debate.