
Tejashwi Yadav meets Bihar Assembly Speaker, seeks discussion on SIR in House
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday called on Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and requested that the House take up for discussion the controversial special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state.The leader of the opposition in the assembly spoke to journalists after meeting the Speaker inside the latter's chamber, on the inaugural day of the monsoon session."We requested that the matter be taken up for discussion in the House tomorrow. The assembly is the largest temple of democracy in Bihar... democracy is under attack in the state. An attempt is being made to rob the deprived sections of their right to vote. We will fight it out from the House to the streets (sadan se sadak tak)," Yadav said.However, senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who spoke to journalists separately, said, "The fears are unfounded. Not a single genuine voter's name will be dropped. All will exercise their franchise in the upcoming assembly polls."Adopting a belligerent stance, Yadav, a former deputy chief minister himself, said that the Speaker will have to agree to a discussion on the issue."Any reluctance on his part or unwillingness from the ruling side will have strong consequences," he said.Yadav also spoke of a letter he has written to alliance partners outside the state, like Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, seeking their support on the issue of SIR."I have written a letter and I hope that the matter will be raised on the national level, too, with Parliament also in session," the INDIA bloc partner said.Replying to a query, the RJD leader said, "Yes, there are other issues, like the recent spurt in violent crimes, on which we will seek to corner the government."The monsoon session, which is the last of the current assembly before elections, due in about a couple of months from now, will continue till July 25.

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


Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Goa govt to legalise over 1 lakh houses existing prior to 1972
Panaji: In a major decision to legalise houses in the state that are facing the threat of demolition, state govt on Friday issued two circulars. One was by the revenue department and the other by the directorate of panchayat, to legalise over one lakh illegal houses that existed prior to 1972 on any land. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that these circulars do not give any ownership rights on the land, but they legalise the structure and clarify the land status. 'We are making houses legal. The revenue department will give sanand, and the panchayat will give status as legal,' he said. Sawant said that with these circulars, there is no need to bring any bills in the assembly. A few minutes before the press conference to announce the circulars, both Sawant and revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate made a statement on the floor of the House that govt will bring a bill to regularise the houses. Sawant said that to clear the confusion in villages about illegal structures, govt has issued two circulars. He said that if the house is shown on the survey plan but does not have any document, then the owner of the house should go to the deputy collector and apply for the sanad. He said that once the sanad is issued by the deputy collector under this circular, and in case the owner of the house needs to construct a new house, then the same sanad can be used. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The circular said that the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, has exempted all lands (survey holdings) situated in the settlement zone, as per the Regional Plan/Outline Development Plan, from the operation of provisions. This is provided the survey records of such survey show the existence of a structure on the said land, the total area of the survey holding does not exceed 1,000sqm, and the existing structure, as shown in the survey map, covers at least 25% of the total area of the said plot. However, govt found that in several cases, structures which are already in existence and are duly reflected in the records of rights (Form I and XIV) as well as in the survey plans prepared under the provisions of the Goa, Daman and Diu Land Revenue Code, 1968 (during the period 1970 to 1972) are being required to obtain a fresh conversion sanad at the time of reconstruction. 'This has led to certain ambiguities and inconsistent interpretations across departments regarding the applicability of the conversion provisions under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968,' govt said.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Tax the Rich': AOC flouted House Rules in 2021 Met Gala, accepted gifts, gave boyfriend free ticket
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez flouted House rules in her Met Gala 2021 'Tax the rich' appearance. A House Ethics Committee found Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at fault for his much-discussed 2021 Met Gala appearance, where she wore her headline-making 'Tax the Rich' gown. The probe report released Friday revealed that AOC underpaid for costs and will now have to pay $3,000 for her 2021 Met Gala appearance. The 10-member committee, comprising five Democrats and five Republicans, concluded that Ocasio-Cortez paid under fair market value for clothing and accessories. It also determined that her partner, Riley Roberts, who is now her fiancé, was not covered under House rules, which at the time only let spouses and dependent children receive free tickets to charitable events. The committee said it will not issue any sanction against Ocasio-Cortez as long as she pays $2,733 to vendors for the additional value of her clothes and donates $250 for Riley's ticket. AOC's team only paid $990.76 for her glamorous appearance including renting the Brother Vellies couture dress designed by Aurora James, as well as luxury shoes, jewelry, a floral hairpiece and handbag. The fair market value is around $3,724,04 Mike Casca, AOC's chief of staff, said in a statement: 'The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why CVS Hides This Cheap 87¢ ED Medication Health Alliance by Friday Plans Undo She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she's done at each step in this process.' The investigation into who paid AOC for her and her boyfriend's Met Gala appearance began in 2022 and her campaign eventually paid for all the costs. Ethics rules prevent members of Congress from accepting gifts such as 'a gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, forbearance, or other item having monetary value.' They are permitted to attend charity events, but only if invited by the organization hosting the event. The investigation earlier found out that OAC and her partne were originally invited to the $35,000-per-ticket event as guests of Vogue, and not by the Metropolitan Museum of Art itself. But because Vogue, and its longtime editorial director, Anna Wintour, are deeply involved in organizing the event, the investigators found the invitation permissible.


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
"Don't Play With Fire": MK Stalin Slams Poll Roll Revision In Bihar
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President MK Stalin has come out strongly against the Election Commission of India's (EC) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it a dangerous attempt to "engineer outcomes, not reform the system." In a sharply worded post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Mr Stalin warned that "any threat to our democracy will be met with firm resistance." "SIR is not about reform. It is about engineering outcomes. Don't play with fire," he wrote. "Delhi knows the Bihar electorate that once voted for it will now vote it out. That's why it is trying to stop them from voting altogether. Tamil Nadu will fight this injustice with every democratic weapon at our disposal," he added. His comments come days ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing on Monday, where the Opposition and civil society groups have challenged the Election Commission (EC) decision to carry out the sweeping voter verification exercise, starting in Bihar. In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the EC has said that it has the constitutional authority to require voters to prove their citizenship through specific documents, especially for those born between July 1987 and December 2004. It has gone a step further to argue that even Parliament cannot curtail this authority. The EC insists that this is essential to ensure only Indian citizens are enrolled and says that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have full powers to seek and scrutinise such documents. It maintains that the onus to prove citizenship lies entirely on the individual. The Commission has excluded commonly held documents such as Aadhaar, ration cards, and Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) issued before January 2025, from the 'acceptable list' for voter registration under SIR. It has also demanded parental citizenship proof from certain age groups - a move that has drawn widespread criticism. Multiple opposition parties have slammed the timing, intent, and process of the SIR exercise. They allege that the EC's move, beginning in Bihar just ahead of state elections, is aimed at mass disenfranchisement, particularly of poor and minority communities. They also point to procedural confusion, including the EC's mid-course change in requirements, initially mandating citizenship proof during door-to-door collection, only to later defer this to a separate verification process. Ground reports from Bihar suggest that a large number of enumeration forms were submitted without documents. Citizens are now expected to produce proof in person within a tight window, raising fears that many may be excluded. 'Parallel Mechanism' Legal experts point to a grey area. While the Union government alone can cancel citizenship, the EC claims that it, too, can verify citizenship for the limited purpose of electoral registration. Critics fear this could create a parallel and unaccountable determination mechanism. The BJP has defended the special intensive revision. Stating that the EC is ensuring only genuine citizens vote is in the national interest, the party has accused opposition parties of fear-mongering and spreading misinformation for political gain. Its leaders have argued that the move helps plug gaps in the system and uphold the integrity of elections.