
Sonia, other opposition leaders protest against SIR
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties, including Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi , protested in the Parliament House complex for the seventh consecutive day on Wednesday against the Election Commission's voter roll revision in Bihar, and demanded its rollback.Ahead of the day's proceedings in Parliament, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other opposition MPs raised slogans and protested against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.There was a huge banner in front of them which read 'SIR- Loktantra Pe Vaar' as they lined up on and near the steps of the Makar Dwar of Parliament and staged a protest for the seventh consecutive day.With 'Stop SIR' placards in hand, several MPs of the opposition, including those of the Congress, DMK, TMC, Samajwadi Party, RJD and Left parties, participated in the protest and raised slogans.The opposition has been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging the EC's exercise was aimed at "disenfranchising voters" in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections. They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
12 minutes ago
- Time of India
DMK, allies oppose EC's move to add 6.5 lakh voters from Bihar in Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: DMK and its allies have opposed the decision of Election Commission to register migrant workers in the states of their domicile, alleging that inclusion of migrants from north India in the Tamil Nadu voter list would alter political landscape of the state. The apprehension arose after EC explained that 65 lakh voters missing in the draft poll roll for Bihar after the first phase of SIR had died, or were registered in two locations, or had permanently migrated out of Bihar. DMK general secretary Duraimurugan told reporters in Vellore, "Giving the guest workers voter IDs in Tamil Nadu will result in political change in the future." Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi founder T Velmurugan said, "It is shocking that 6.5 lakh guest workers from Bihar were already added to Tamil Nadu voters list. Lakhs of guest workers are already working in Tamil Nadu, and this is a challenge to the culture and tradition of the soil." VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan urged CM M K Stalin to convene an all-party meeting to address the issue. Tamil Nadu, which will face assembly election next year, will also undergo SIR soon, and there are chances that lakhs of guest workers from other states will be added to the voters list, said Thirumavalavan. "This will change the entire political scenario in the state," he told reporters. NTK coordinator Seeman said, "Trying to convert people from north India into voters of Tamil Nadu is a great injustice to Tamil people."

The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Govt. to table private school fee Bill in Monsoon Session: CM
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday said the Delhi government will table a Bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly, beginning August 4. Amid ongoing protests by parents, the Delhi government had earlier approved a draft of the Bill and proposed bringing an Ordinance, since the Assembly was not in session. Now, it has decided to table the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. 'The Delhi government will table the Bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools in the Monsoon Session of Assembly beginning from August 4,' Ms. Gupta said while addressing the media. The parents' groups, while pointing out issues in the Bill, said that they will send their detailed suggestions to the government on Sunday. Three-level checks A three-level verification will be implemented to regulate fee hikes, according to the Bill seen by The Hindu. First, schools will form an 11-member committee comprising the school management – a management representative and principal – three teachers, five parents from the parent-teacher association, selected by a draw of lots, and a nominee of the Directorate of Education (DoE). A District Fee Appellate Committee will hear appeals against the decisions taken by school-level committees. A similar procedure will be followed with a State-level revision committee, which will be the highest appellate authority. An aggrieved parents' group, which the Bill describes as 15% of the total strength of parents in an affected school, may appeal to the District Fee Appellate Committee within 30 days from the time the fees are approved, against the decisions of school-level committees. The Bill also specifies that if a school is found levying a fee that is not determined in the provisions of the Act, the DoE will direct the school to roll back the fee and refund the excess amount to the parents. The penalty for violators can range between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh. Meanwhile, a fine of ₹50,000 will be levied on schools for harassing students over delayed payment of fees. The Bill also mentions the 10 factors that will determine the fee structure, including the location of the school, infrastructure made available, the education standardof schools, and a reasonable revenue surplus as may be prescribed. Divya Mattey, a parent of a student who studies in Delhi Public School, Dwarka, said, 'It will be difficult to get a minimum of 15% of the parent body to raise a question.' Mr. Mattey said that parents have noted that the penalties might not affect bigger schools, for whom '₹50,000 might be a small amount'. AAP, BJP at odds Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi State president Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Bill, saying, 'Until now, even under the 1973 law, if a single parent felt that fees had been unfairly hiked, they could file a complaint with the DoE. Now, that has been scrapped. Under the new law, you'll need a minimum of 15% of parents to raise a complaint. In a school with 3,000 students, that means identifying 450 parents – a near-impossible task.' Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, 'It would have been better if Saurabh Bharadwaj had waited until the Bill was tabled in the upcoming session before commenting on it.'


Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
EC doubles pay for BLOs involved in roll revision
. NEW DELHI: A day after asking its poll personnel in the field to ignore repeated threats and allegations by some opposition netas and continue working impartially, the Election Commission decided to reward the officers involved in electoral roll revision, reports Bharti Jain. For booth-level officers (BLOs), annual remuneration and incentive for roll revision stands doubled to Rs 12,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively. These rates were last revised in 2015. BLOs will also get Rs 6,000 as special incentive for special intensive revision (SIR). The BLO supervisor will receive an annual remuneration of Rs 18,000 as against Rs 12,000, in force since 2015. EROs and assistant EROs, who did not get any honorarium so far, will now receive an honorarium of Rs 30,000 and Rs 25,000 each. Stating that pure electoral rolls are bedrock of democracy, EC Saturday commended the electoral roll machinery comprising EROs, Asst EROs, BLO supervisors and BLOs for doing "a lot or hard work" and playing "a pivotal role in preparation of transparent rolls". The commission said decision to raise their remuneration/incentive 'reflects EC's commitment to adequately compensate election personnel who work tirelessly at field level to maintain accurate poll rolls, assist voters and strengthen the electoral process'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Moose Approaches Girl At Bus Stop In As Suways - Watch What Happens Happy in Shape Undo The raised compensation comes after repeated attacks by opposition parties against the EC. On Friday, Rahul Gandhi had accused the EC of 'vote chori' (vote theft) during Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka and said he had an 'atom bomb' of evidence to back his claim.