Verbal spats, protests mark final Bihar Assembly session before polls
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
The five-day monsoon session of Bihar Assembly--the last before the state goes to polls -ended on Friday on a bitter note. Chief minister Nitish Kumar criticised the opposition members for dressing in black to protest the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) carried out by the Election Commission in Bihar."You (opposition members) have been coming here dressed in black. What does this mean? You have never done anything sensible. It is the last day of the session, and you are wasting time," Kumar said in the Legislative Council.In the same vein, he alleged that RJD leader Rabri Devi may have instructed her party members as well as allies to wear black.On Wednesday, the House saw a verbal spat between Kumar and opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav when the latter was speaking on SIR. Kumar called Tejashwi a "child" and reminded him of his parent's tenure in the state.A day later, harsh words were exchanged between deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary and RJD legislators, when Choudhary labelled serious allegations against Yadav by naming his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav.A verbal spat also took place between Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav and deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, which forced Yadav to adjourn the Assembly.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
25 minutes ago
- Hans India
Oppn adamant on demand over electoral roll revision debate, Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday following vocal protests and demands for immediate discussion on several contentious issues, including Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh announced the receipt of 24 notices under Rule 267, most of which pertained to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls undertaken in Bihar. The notices were submitted by members, including Ranjeet Ranjan, Shaktisinh Gohil, Syed Nasir Hussain, Rajani Ashokrao Patil, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Rajiv Shukla and Randeep Singh Surjewala (all from Congress), Sandeep Kumar Pathak (AAP), Manoj Jha (RJD), and others. The Deputy Chairman also informed the House that under the same rules, additional notices were submitted by CPI(M) MP Rita Pratap Banerjee and Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghosh, raising concerns over alleged discrimination against Bengali migrant workers in various states. A. Rahim (CPI-M), P. Santosh Kumar (CPI), and Josh K. Mani (Kerala Congress-M) sought a discussion on the "alleged and unjust" arrest of two nuns in Chhattisgarh. SP MP Ramjilal Suman demanded a debate on the "unprecedented and unexpected" resignation of the Rajya Sabha Chairman, while CPI(M) MP V. Sivadasan submitted a notice seeking deliberation on "India's trade agreement with the United Kingdom and its impact on the Indian economy". The Deputy Chairman informed the House that the notices did not conform to procedural requirements and were therefore declined. This led to sharp protests from the Opposition and disruption of proceedings. Amid the uproar, the Deputy Chairman urged members to honour their collective commitment to uphold the Parliamentary decorum, stating that Question Hour and Zero Hour had not been availed for several days due to repeated disruptions. The Deputy Chairman appealed to members to allow both segments to proceed uninterrupted. When the ruckus continued, he adjourned the House till 2 p.m. Earlier in the day, the House briefly turned its attention to a moment of national pride when the Deputy Chairman congratulated 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh for winning the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup. He described her achievement as a matter of great joy, noting that she had made the country proud by becoming India's first woman to win the title and the nation's 88th Grandmaster. Several parliamentary papers and committee reports were laid on the table. These included submissions from ministers Pankaj Choudhary, Anupriya Patel, Santanu Thakur, Harsh Malhotra, Ninubhai, and Bhupathi Raju Srinivas Verma. Shiv Sena-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi tabled the 57th report of the Standing Committee on Communications in the 17th Lok Sabha, along with the seventh Action Taken Report concerning the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. BJP MP Ramji Bhai Harji Bhai Mokaria submitted reports from the Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs. BJP MP K. Lakshman laid reports from the Committee on Public Accounts, while party MP Iranna B Kadadi presented the 15th report related to the Ministry of Rural Development. Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Choudhary also placed an additional Standing Committee report before the House. An updated panel of Vice Chairpersons was announced. The House is scheduled to reconvene at 2 p.m., though tensions surrounding the Bihar electoral revision may continue to affect proceedings.
Hans India
25 minutes ago
- Hans India
If mass exclusion, we will immediately step in: Supreme Court on Bihar SIR
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday orally remarked that it would 'immediately step in' if there is mass exclusion of voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The observation came from a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi as it dealt with a clutch of petitions claiming that if the June 26 decision of the ECI directing SIR is not set aside, it can "arbitrarily" and "without due process" disenfranchise lakhs of voters, disrupt free and fair elections and democracy. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, citing a statement issued by the poll body, submitted that 65 lakh individuals had not submitted enumeration forms during the SIR process, as they were either deceased or had permanently relocated. 'We are here, we will hear your concerns. We are overviewing the matter as a judicial authority. If there is mass exclusion, we will immediately step in,' the Justice Kant-led Bench assured Bhushan and posted the clutch of petitions against SIR for hearing on August 12 and 13. The apex court added that the Election Commission of India (ECI), being a constitutional authority, is presumed to act in accordance with the law and the Constitution. On Monday, the Justice Kant-led Bench declined to grant an interim stay on the publication of the draft electoral rolls but emphasised that the ECI should consider Aadhaar and Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) for voter verification. As senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing on ECI's behalf, raised concerns over the reliability of documents -- citing the prevalence of fake ration cards -- the top court had remarked: "As far as ration cards are concerned, we can say they can be forged easily, but Aadhaar and voter cards have some sanctity and have a presumption of genuineness. You proceed with these two documents (Aadhaar and EPIC). Wherever you find forgery, that's on a case-to-case basis." As per the SIR schedule released by the poll body, every elector who has submitted the enumeration form -- with or without supporting documents -- will be included in the draft electoral roll set to be published on August 1. Electors who have not submitted their forms will still be entitled to seek inclusion in the final roll by filing a claim in the prescribed form along with the required declaration. "Therefore, any person excluded from the draft roll has another opportunity to be included by submitting the form with the necessary declaration and documents. This claims period will remain open for 31 days following the publication of the draft roll, i.e., until September 1, 2025," the Commission said in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court. After the completion of the entire process, the final roll will be published on September 30, and the reply document added. The ECI also submitted that even after the final roll is published, new electors may still be enrolled up to the last date for filing nominations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Parliament monsoon session: Lok Sabha sees smooth functioning of Question Hour after 6 days of disruption
Agencies Parliament monsoon session Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed smooth functioning of the Question Hour for the first time since the beginning of the Monsoon session on July 21. The House has been witnessing repeated disruptions over the Opposition's demand for a debate on electoral roll revision in Bihar and Operation Sindoor. While the debate on Operation Sindoor commenced in the House on Monday, the Opposition disrupted the first half of the day demanding an assurance from the government that a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar will be held after that. Tuesday was the first time in six days that the House could take up the Question Hour without disruptions. Speaker Om Birla has been insisting that members should participate in the Question Hour as issues related to key ministries are taken up and the government is held accountable.
