INDIA Bloc MPs demand Parliament debate on Bihar SIR, write to LS speaker
Following vehement protests by Opposition parties over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm on Friday (Aug 1) and the Rajya Sabha till 11 am on Monday (Aug 4)
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Friday (August 1) and the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11 am on Monday (August 4) following vehement protests by Opposition parties over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
As soon as the day's proceedings started, Opposition members wanted to raise various issues, and some of them also trooped into the Well of the House.
'Vote theft'
INDIA bloc parties Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, and RSP have written a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being carried out in Bihar.
"We have open-and-shut proof that the Election Commission is involved in vote theft...Most importantly, whoever in the Election Commission is involved in this exercise, right from top to bottom, we will not spare you. You are working against India, and this is no less than treason. Wherever you are, even if you are retired, we will find you," said Congress MP and LoP Rahul Gandhi on the SIR exercise in Bihar.
Amid sloganeering and display of placards by the protesting members, Speaker Om Birla said the decorum of the House should be maintained and also urged them to go back to their seats.
Birla repeatedly asserted that the behaviour of the members was not appropriate and also took the name of senior DMK leader T R Baalu, asking whether it is right to protest.
Efforts should be made to strengthen democracy and people have given the opportunity to raise their issues, Birla said as he again urged the protesting members to allow the House to run.
The Question Hour was disrupted due to the protests. With the din continuing, the proceedings were adjourned within three minutes till 2 pm.
Rajya Sabha too was adjourned till 12 noon as Opposition parties disrupted the proceedings, demanding a discussion on the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The government has listed a couple of Bills in both Houses for introduction, consideration, and passing. The statutory resolution for extending President’s Rule in Manipur, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (July 30), has also been listed for passing in the Rajya Sabha again on Friday.
Govt response on Trump's tariffs
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday (July 31), speaking in a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha, said the government is carefully studying the implications of the 25 per cent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Goyal said India would take all necessary measures to protect its national interest.
“The Ministry of Commerce and Industry is holding talks with exporters, industries, and all stakeholders and gathering information on their assessment of this issue. The government gives utmost priority to the safeguarding of welfare of farmers, labourers, entrepreneurs, industrialists, exporters, MSMEs, and stakeholders of the industrial sector,” said the minister.
Rahul Gandhi created a stir on Thursday when he said that Trump was right in saying the Indian economy is a dead economy.
“Yes, he is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact. The whole world knows that the BJP has finished the Indian economy to help Adani,” Rahul told reporters outside Parliament on Thursday.
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Rahul derails Opposition focus by backing Trump’s ‘dead economy’ remark
Trump embarrasses Modi again? Ceasefire claim sparks political storm
Rahul Gandhi says Trump right on making 'dead economy' remark about India
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Follow this space for more live updates
Live Updates
- 1 Aug 2025 2:07 PM IST
SIR aims to steal poor people's votes, warns Congress MP Md Jawaid
Congress MP Md Jawaid reiterated his opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating he has been voicing concerns since day one.
He alleged that the exercise is designed to remove poor people and labourers from the voter rolls, similar to what he claims happened in Maharashtra and Delhi, and warned that similar efforts are underway in other parts of the country.
- 1 Aug 2025 2:05 PM IST
BJP MP criticises opposition for disrupting Parliament over 'trivial issues' like SIR, US tariffs
BJP MP Manan Kumar Mishra criticised the Opposition for repeatedly disrupting Parliament over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement.
Calling the disruptions “unfortunate,” he said the SIR matter is already under the Supreme Court’s scrutiny, and the government is actively reviewing the tariff issue, which he claimed has no significant impact on the Indian economy.
Mishra added that stalling parliamentary work for over 30 hours and blocking development projects over what he termed “trivial issues” poses a serious threat to the democratic framework.
- 1 Aug 2025 1:47 PM IST
‘Black day for democracy’: Pramod Tiwari on commandos stopping Oppn MPs
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari condemned the deployment of security personnel — allegedly CISF or other forces — inside the House to stop Opposition MPs from entering the Well of the House.
He described it as a “sad and dark day in Indian democracy,” stating that even women MPs were forcefully blocked by male personnel.
Tiwari said this unprecedented move marks a "black day" in Parliamentary history and confirmed that the Opposition is submitting a formal complaint to the Speaker and Deputy Chairman, with video evidence to support their claims.
- 1 Aug 2025 1:42 PM IST
Digvijaya Singh started ‘saffron terror’ narrative to please Gandhis: BJP MP
BJP MP VD Sharma launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, alleging that he repeatedly spreads falsehoods to serve political interests.
Sharma claimed Singh deserves a "world record for lying" and accused him of fabricating the false narrative of “Hindu and saffron terrorism” to appease the Gandhi family.
He said the people of India are aware of such conspiracies and respond to them appropriately.
- 1 Aug 2025 1:40 PM IST
Congress MP Ranjit Ranjan demands discussion on SIR in Parliament
Congress MP Ranjit Ranjan says, "The opposition is demanding a discussion on SIR in both Houses. We have doubts about transparency... You are saying that out of 65 lakh, 36 lakh people are missing... We want that if the Election Commission is maintaining transparency and the government is confident, then discuss it in the House, clarify our questions, take us into confidence... If the rights of voters are taken away, how can we sit quietly?"
- 1 Aug 2025 1:35 PM IST
SIR unfair to migrant workers, must not be replicated elsewhere: Mahua Majhi
JMM MP Mahua Majhi called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar a serious issue and said that the opposition wants to ensure that the same does not happen in states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, or Jharkhand.
She questioned how voters deemed valid during the Lok Sabha elections are now being removed from rolls, and highlighted the plight of migrant workers from Bihar who are not being given adequate time to furnish documents.
Majhi appealed for an extension of the verification window to ensure these individuals are not left out.
- 1 Aug 2025 1:29 PM IST
Trump’s ‘dead economy’ remark false, and we all know it: Shashi Tharoor
On US President Donald Trump's 'India is a dead economy remark, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, "... This is not the case and we all know it."
- 1 Aug 2025 1:27 PM IST
SIR is ‘vote-bandi’, not revision; EC ignoring SC directions: Manoj Jha
RJD MP Manoj Jha sharply criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, alleging it has turned into a "Special Intensive Deletion" drive.
He accused the Election Commission of ignoring Supreme Court directions by refusing to accept Aadhaar cards — India’s most widespread identity document — as valid voter ID proof during the revision.
Jha warned that the mass deletion of names poses a grave threat to democracy and likened the conduct of the EC to that of Bangladesh’s controversial election authority.
Calling the process a form of "vote-bandi," he said the environment in Parliament resembled Tihar Jail, with barricades blocking Opposition MPs from protesting near the Well.
- 1 Aug 2025 1:10 PM IST
Kharge slams CISF deployment in Rajya Sabha, writes to Deputy Chairman
Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has written to Deputy Chairman Harivansh condemning the deployment of CISF personnel to prevent Opposition MPs from entering the Well of the House to protest.
For the second consecutive day, CISF personnel were seen inside the Well, stopping Opposition MPs present there from staging any protests.
Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Deputy Chairman Harivansh condemning the deployment of CISF personnel to prevent Opposition MPs from entering the Well of the House to protest.
- 1 Aug 2025 1:00 PM IST
EC releases Bihar draft electoral rolls amid opposition protests
The Election Commission of India (ECI) today (August 1) released the draft electoral rolls for all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar, prompting immediate protests from the Opposition.
In a joint letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Opposition parties have demanded a special discussion in Parliament on the timing and intent behind the voter list revision process.
According to the ECI, the draft rolls include data from approximately 90,817 polling stations across the state. Copies of the electoral rolls were distributed to all recognised political parties through the 38 district collectors.
The Commission also announced that the draft voter list would be accessible to the general public on its website starting from 3:00 pm today.
This release is part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which the Commission maintains is a routine process to update voter records and address discrepancies.
