In the face of continued ruckus in Parliament during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday signaled that the government will proceed with its legislative agenda, notwithstanding protests.
Monday witnessed sparse proceedings in the Lok Sabha owing to the ongoing disruptions from the opposition, while the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day as a mark of respect to its member and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren, who died in the early morning hours.
Rijiju stressed that despite being willing to have expansive debates on the government's proposed bills, it will be left with no option but to pursue their passage beginning Tuesday in the national interest. "These bills are crucial for governance," he stated.
Condemning the opposition for not allowing the debate, Rijiju said that they had previously agreed upon a two-day discussion on the National Sports Governance Bill and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill—both to be taken up for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Nevertheless, opposition MPs disrupted proceedings.
The opposition has clarified that it is dependent on the government's concurrence to debate the SIR exercise in Bihar, which is a hot button issue in the current Monsoon session.
Rijiju, however, categorically dismissed the possibility of any such debate in Parliament, contending that the process of SIR is within the domain of the Election Commission, a constitutional body which is independent in nature. He quoted the stand of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, which relied upon a precedent established by former Speaker and Congressman Balram Jakhar, claiming that the internal functioning of the Election Commission cannot be discussed in the legislature.
Though electoral reforms can be discussed in Parliament, the day-to-day working of the Election Commission is not on the table," Rijiju observed, citing that such revision work has already been undertaken in the past by the EC without any issue.
Since the commencement of the Monsoon session on July 21, both Parliament and Parliament's Houses have seen successive logjams, with barely any legislative business going on—save for a fleeting two-day debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor in both Houses. The current deadlock continues to hold up proceedings as opposition members continue to push hard for a debate on the Bihar SIR issue.
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