Latest news with #SIR
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
After a week of washout, will debate on Operation Sindoor bring order in the House?
Protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar largely gutted proceedings last week in Parliament. This week, a change is expected as Lok Sabha takes up a discussion on the Pahalgam attacks and Operation Sindoor. Rajya Sabha shall resume its suspended discussion on The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025. On Friday (July 25), Opposition members, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, held a protest in the Parliament complex, tearing and disposing of SIR posters in the bin in a symbolic rejection of exercise. Sloganeering continued once Lok Sabha resumed business for the day, leading to multiple adjournments. Later in the day, Lok Speaker Om Birla called a meeting of Lok Sabha floor leaders of parties with five or more MPs, seeking to put an end to the current parliamentary logjam. A consensus was reached, and Lok Sabha is expected to function normally from today. The Supreme Court hearing on the SIR, however, is scheduled for today, leaving slight possibilities open for new disruptions in House proceedings. In the Rajya Sabha, new members from Tamil Nadu took oath in the Rajya Sabha. This included actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan, former Additional Advocate General and incumbent MP P. Wilson, poet Rajathi alias Salma, and S.R. Sivalingam – all backed by the DMK and its allies. AIADMK's I.S. Inbadurai and M. Dhanapal are expected to take oath today. Discussion on any bill, however, did not take place, with quick adjournments following the start of business for the day. Chair Jagadambika Pal made an impassioned plea for peace in the House, stressing that Friday was the only day set aside for Private Members' Bills, and that several members wished to introduce bills on important subjects. He highlighted that the entire week had been washed out and asked members to go home over the weekend and ask their constituents if they wanted them to discuss issues or create furore in the house. His pleas failed to cur the ice, and the House was adjourned for the day sans much progress. Since the passing of the Bills of Lading Bill, 2025 on the very first day of the Monsoon session (July 21, 2025), the Rajya Sabha has conducted little legislative business of note. An unexpected development had also emerged in the form of the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, the de facto chair of the Rajya Sabha. Now, the secretary-general of the Rajya Sabha P.C Mody has been appointed as the returning officer for the vice presidential poll. At the heart of the contention between the Centre and the outgoing vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar is the notice for impeachment motion against Justice Varma moved by the Opposition in Rajya Sabha. Government sources stated that the motion in the Rajya Sabha is not admissible on technical grounds, since it has incomplete paperwork. The motion is now expected to be taken up only in the Lok Sabha, where, if admitted, a three member-panel will be formulated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, comprising a Supreme Court Judge, a high court judge and an eminent jurist. Follow along for live updates from Parliament here, as we keep an eye on what happens in both Houses today. Until next time.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
No legislative business... again
Proceedings in Parliament on Thursday were mired in chaos, with protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, multiple adjournments and little progress on any legislative matters. In both Houses, Opposition members continued their protest against the Election Commission's SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar and demanded its rollback. The potential extension of the exercise to poll-bound States such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala next year is giving rise to even greater concern. Read more about what the Election Commission said about the SIR in its counter-affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, where a writ petition is challenging the constitutionality of this undertaking. In the Rajya Sabha, discussion on a Bill- the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill- progressed after a fashion in the post-lunch session, with AIADMK's M Thambidurai continuing his interrupted speech from the day before, and YSRCP's Ayodhya Rami Reddy rising to speak. Persistent din and sloganeering, however, led to the Chair Bhubaneshwar Kalita to adjourn proceedings shortly thereafter. All notices under Rule 267, demanding discussions on various issues, were rejected by Deputy Chairman Harivansh. The Upper House also bid farewell to six members from Tamil Nadu — M.M. Abdullah, N. Chandrasekaran, Anbumani Ramadoss, M. Shanmugam, Vaiko and P Wilson — who are retiring. Further, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, known for handling the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack trials, took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President on July 13. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha's attempts to hold a discussion on the Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Legislative Assembly came to naught, with protests necessitating a quick end to proceedings. Even as debate was stalled, some points of interest emerged from written replies to questions from Lok Sabha members. The National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub Scheme, which seeks to encourage entrepreneurship among community members, benefited around 1.45 lakh individuals, as per a reply from Jitan Ram Manjhi, the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The Minister also shared, in response to another question, that UP has more than 22 lakh women-led MSMEs, as per digital registration records. Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari stated in a written reply that the length of the National Highway network expanded from a little more than 91,000 km in March 2014 to 1.46 lakh km at present. Progress is seemingly happening, at least on paper. It remains to be seen how this will be reflected in the day-to-day workings of the country, and more pertinently, in the day-to-day workings of Parliament. Today, Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to move a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to extend President's Rule in Manipur for another six months. Follow along for live updates from Parliament here, as we keep an eye on both Houses. Until next time.
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
INDIA bloc continues protest against Bihar's SIR, Congress leaders join in
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday joined the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc MPs in protesting against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar, and also the "arrest of labourers in BJP-ruled states" while being outside Parliament at Makar Dwar. Sonia Gandhi joined the protest, holding the large banner 'SIR-attack on Democracy,' and stood beside her daughter and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi. Other leaders like Pramod Tiwari and Manickam Tagore were also present. The INDIA bloc protest was also joined by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs protesting against the "arrest of labourers in BJP-ruled states." The party has been separately protesting for a few days against the alleged mistreatment of Bengalis in other states, however today, they joined the larger protest while the other MPs held caricature posters criticising the Election Commission (EC). The SIR cartoon portrayed a man labelled "EC" dressed in uniform and shackled, holding what resembles an EVM (Electronic Voting Machine), with a speech bubble saying "YES SIR." The tweet was captioned with a single, sharp hashtag: #SIR, a clear reference to the recent allegations by opposition parties that the ECI is functioning under pressure from the central government, especially in light of developments in Bihar. MPs of the INDIA bloc have been protesting against the voter roll revision on since the commencement of the monsoon session on July 21 both in and outside of Parliament. Earlier on July 29, multiple leaders, including Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Manickam Tagore, Hibi Eden, DMK MP Kanimozhi, JMM MP Mahua Maji, RJD MP Manoj Jha protested in the ongoing rain ahead of the commencement of today's session in Parliament, holding up posters and demanding a halt to the exercise. Congress MP Manickam Tagore posted a cartoon on X, mocking the Election Commission of India (ECI) in connection with the recent controversy over the SIR. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha List of Business for Wednesday states that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move a resolution to extend President's rule in the ethnic violence-hit state of Manipur for six months. The President's rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, days after N Biren Singh resigned from the Chief Minister's position. Under the motion, the President's rule will be extended till February 13, 2026, after the Parliament's concession. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India Today
3 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why idea of free-fair polls in Bengal is ghorar dim
"Ghhorar dim", as the Bangla phrase, which means "a horse's egg" goes, captures the absurdity of the idea of free and fair elections in West Bengal. Not just reported large-scale immigration and the shadow of political violence, an election machinery, which is allegedly far from independent, makes the idea of a fair franchise a pipe dream. As ghorar dim, the idea of fair elections here remains a an administrative meeting last week, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reminded block-level officers (BLOs) that they were state government employees. This is important because the BLOs are key to the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls that is expected to begin in Bengal West Bengal is the only state where the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office operates under the state's Home and Hill Affairs Department, without functional freedom. The state has seen an influx of illegal immigration from Bangladesh, leading to demographic changes in several districts. Retributive political violence, as seen after the last Assembly elections, also cast a cloud over the idea of participatory IMMIGRATION AND SIR IN WEST BENGALEven as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is underway in Bihar and speculated to begin in poll-bound Bengal next, Mamata Banerjee has openly opposed it, calling it a targeted move against Bengali voters. The Trinamool Congress leader, who has launched a Bhasha Aandolon from Rabindranath Tagore's Sanctuary Bolpur, has asserted that "people from Gujarat were preparing Bengal's [voters'] list".This even as the West Bengal CEO flagged major irregularities during sample checking of voter lists in South and North 24 Parganas, where 127 fictitious voters were allegedly entered by two Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) without BLO verification, reported The Economic Times newspaper on SIR is a legal and essential exercise mandated under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to ensure the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls ahead of major tenure of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly ends in May 2026, with elections expected to be held earlier next REMINDER TO BLOs ON DUTY STIRS DEBATEA recent reminder by Mamata Banerjee to the BLOs that they are state government employees before and after elections does not offer much hope on an administrative meeting on July 28, Mamata reminded the BLOs, who are officials of the state government, that they work for the Government of West Bengal, not the Election Commission of India (ECI), reported The directed them to ensure that not a single name is removed from the voter's rolls, adding not to "harass" voters by removing names from electoral lists."After the election is announced, it comes under [ECI's] purview. Before that, it is the state government, and again after the elections, it is the state government," she elections, the Election Commission of India relies on government officials, including teachers, state employees and staff from some PSUs like nationalised banks, for conducting polls. The BLOs, who are state government employees, are mandated to assist in updating and verifying voter including BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, have argued that Mamata's "intimidatory statement" pressures BLOs to prioritise state loyalty over Election Commission of India (ECI) directives, potentially undermining impartial voter list a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, Adhikari termed the Mamata's appeal as "direct and unwarranted interference", calling it an "attempt to influence the revision of electoral rolls for political motives", reported news agency BENGAL CEO'S OFFICE UNDER STATE CONTROLMoreover, West Bengal is the only state where the CEO office operates under the Home and Hill Affairs department of the state government, the ECI recently CEO's office also lacks financial and administrative week, the ECI directed West Bengal to establish a separate election department to ensure institutional autonomy ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls."The Commission has noted the lack of financial and administrative autonomy available to the CEO, West Bengal, in the existing arrangement, wherein the CEO's office functions with limited financial powers relying on a minor permanent advance from the Finance Department. Further, the CEO's office has been categorised as a subordinate branch of the Home and Hill Affairs Department, which is led by a principal secretary-level officer, whereas the CEO himself is of ACS rank," the Election Commission wrote to the West Bengal Chief Secretary, in a letter dated July 17, reported The Indian Commission also directed the Chief Secretary to declare the CEO's office as an independent one structural and organisational issue, as also flagged by the BJP, raises concerns about the ability to conduct unbiased elections, as the CEO's office remains financially and administratively tethered to the state, potentially compromising its Home, Hill Affairs, and Revenue departments are under CM Mamata state president Samik Bhattacharya claimed that while the ECI aims to make the CEO's office more independent, the state government is resisting the move, "making it clear", he said, "who is trying to control the process", reported the ECI's push for a SIR of electoral rolls, which is speculated to be exercised next in West Bengal, has met resistance from SHIFTS IN BENGAL RAISE RED FLAGSRecent analyses highlight significant demographic changes in West Bengal, particularly in border districts, where the Muslim population has risen disproportionately over the last few decades. Many of the illegal migrants have been found to possess legal documents like the Aadhaar Card and Voter ID has put a question mark about the integrity of elections in the states where non-citizens are like Murshidabad and Malda have seen a notable rise in Muslim populations, with Murshidabad's Muslim share increasing from 63.7% in 2001 to 66.3% in 2011, and Malda from 49.7% to 51.3%.Many fear that the latest data, when released, will reveal even starker shifts, coupled with reports of illegal migration from Bangladesh, have fuelled concerns about voter list leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, have claimed that such changes enable the inclusion of "illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya voters" in electoral rolls, a charge Mamata Banerjee has dismissed as politically week, Adhikari claimed that a sharp rise of over 70,000 Form-6 applications, along with domicile certificates issued after July 25, aimed at "enroling illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants" signals voter roll 70,000 Form-6 applications have been submitted on average in the last week, a sharp rise from the usual 20,000-25,000, especially in Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Maldah, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, and North & South 24 Parganas districts," he wrote on conclusion, the idea of free and fair elections in West Bengal remains elusive due to demographic changes, the state government's influence over electoral officers, and structural issues with the state poll body. Now, with the 2026 Vidhan Sabha polls approaching, these factors cast a shadow over the state's electoral integrity, making "ghhorar dim" an apt metaphor for an unattainable ideal.- EndsTune InMust Watch
New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
EAM Jaishankar leads Op Sindoor debate in Rajya Sabha
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose said on Wednesday, that the party will raise the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise going on in Bihar strongly in the House. "Opposition parties have participated honestly in the debate on Pahalgam attack. The most important issue today is SIR. We have been giving notices continuously, but it is not being accepted," Ghose told PTI. "We have seen lakhs of voters have been removed from the voters' list in Bihar. We want a discussion on this. Is citizens' right to vote being snatched? Is the BJP using the EC to push its own agenda?" she asked.
