Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday criticised the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. She called it an attack on democratic rights ahead of the state’s upcoming assembly elections.
“They are murdering democracy. We have been protesting against it, and this is wrong,” Priyanka told ANI.
Her remarks came as members of the INDIA bloc staged protests within Parliament’s premises. The opposition leaders alleged that the ongoing revision aims to remove voters’ names and suppress their voting rights.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Priyanka accused the government of manipulating elections. She said, “First, in Maharashtra, elections were rigged by inflating voter lists. Now, in Bihar, attempts are being made to do the same by removing voters’ names. The ‘vote ban’ being imposed under the guise of SIR is a conspiracy to snatch the right to vote granted by the Constitution. We stand firmly against every attempt to trample the Constitution.”
Leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also joined the protest. They stood at the Makar Dwar steps in Parliament, demanding the EC halt the SIR process in Bihar. Protesters held placards with slogans such as “stealing of Indian rights” and “death of democracy.”
The SIR has sparked sharp criticism, with INDIA bloc MPs demanding a detailed discussion in Parliament.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said, “We will raise this issue in the house, as they want to cut the votes. The entire opposition is speaking on it and is united.”
Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram likened the SIR process to discriminatory policies. “I view the SIR like the Jim Crow laws in America during the days of segregation… SIR is going to be used as a tool to disenfranchise people of the minority community,” he told ANI.
Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, S Jothimani, Ranjeet Ranjan, and Neeraj Dangi submitted adjournment motion notices in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to discuss the voter list issue. However, the session saw heavy sloganeering, forcing both houses to adjourn till 2:00 PM.
