Parliament passes 8 Bills amid Opposition protests against SIR, 'voter fraud'

Parliament witnessed high-voltage drama on Monday, August 11, as eight Bills were passed amid the Opposition’s protest against the alleged voter fraud and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. As the din continued, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju lashed out at the Opposition over repeated disruptions in both Houses during the ongoing Monsoon session and said the government would continue with the days’ legislative agenda despite their absence.

The minister though, made a last-ditch effort by urging the Opposition to take part in the discussions.

“Don't say later that you were not allowed to participate in the debate,” he said in a press conference held in New Delhi the same day.

Sports Bill passed

The Lok Sabha passed four Bills on Monday -- The National Sports Governance Bill, The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, The Income-Tax (No 2) Bill and Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill – even as the Opposition parties protested against SIR.

Also read: Will the revised Income Tax Bill simplify laws and reduce litigation?

The Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, passed The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill and The Merchant Shipping Bill, besides returning the Manipur Appropriation Bill and The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, which were already passed by the Lower House.

In his press meet, Rijiju said the Congress and other Opposition parties were not interested in allowing Parliament to function but only managing the headline.

'They don't trust democratic institutions'

“They do not trust democratic institutions,” he said in response to a question whether the ongoing Monsoon session would see a premature end. The minister did not rule out such a possibility either.

Also read: Monsoon Session: Rahul, Priyanka released from detention; LS passes I-T Bill

The session kicked off on July 21 but has witnessed disruptions for 14 days, barring a two-day discussion on Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam terror attack. It is scheduled to continue till August 21.

Stressing that important legislations would not go unattended in Parliament, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, “Every day, we will not allow the country’s and Parliament’s time to be wasted on one issue. Parliament cannot to be held to ransom anymore. Therefore, we will pass important Bills.”

He said the government wanted to discuss the Bills but repeated disruptions by the Opposition were resulting in adjournments of both Houses.

Also read: Parliament passes The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill

“We have clearly stated that there should be meaningful and lengthy discussions on important Bills. Imagine, for the Sports Governance Bill and the Anti-Doping Bill, we have allocated two days in the Lok Sabha and two days in the Rajya Sabha. Yet, the Opposition is creating a ruckus,” he said.

Alleging that the Opposition were only after a one-point agenda, Rijiju said they were not bothered about the public interest.

“You have raised an issue, do it for one day. What is the point in raising the same issue every day?” the minister said, referring to the Opposition’s protests on the SIR issue. The opponent parties have been demanding SIR’s rollback ahead of the Bihar elections.

The Opposition has demanded talks on the matter in Parliament, but the government has refused to agree, contending the functioning of a constitutional authority could not be discussed in the House.

Also read: Stonewalled in Parliament, Opposition to intensify protests against SIR

Rijiju said some Opposition members said they were helpless since their leader had allowed deliberate disruption of parliamentary proceedings.

“People have been elected to Parliament for public welfare, but if you are going to resort to disruptions every day, how will you serve the people?” he asked.

Opposition march to EC

Hundreds of Opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, joined a march from Parliament House to the Election Commission to protest against the SIR and alleged voter fraud. However, Delhi Police personnel resisted them, which led to the protesting MPs either sitting on the road and raising slogans or climbing over barricades. Many of the Opposition parliamentarians were detained but released later. A few MPs also fell ill.

On the Opposition's march to the Election Commission, Rijiju said the poll authority had called a 30-member delegation comprising two members from each party to meet them on the SIR issue.

(With Agency inputs)