Rajnath Singh and other NDA functionaries arrive for the floor leaders meet at Parliament House on Sunday (Photo credit: ANI)
NEW DELHI: The prospect of disruption looms over an already truncated winter session of Parliament as a united opposition on Sunday pressed for a discussion on SIR, an issue that had all but washed out the previous session, as govt remained non-committal to its demand.At an all-party meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Congress and a host of other opposition parties also sought debate on several other issues, including national security following the Delhi blast, and rising air pollution, but the nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls emerged as their rallying point.Ram Gopal Yadav of SP, whose contingent of 37 Lok Sabha members is the second largest in the opposition, sent out an ominous message as the 19-day session covering 15 sitting begins Monday. “We will not allow Parliament to function if a discussion is not held on SIR,” he said, alleging the review of rolls is marred by irregularities and that some booth-level officers ended their lives due to stress. Many SP lawmakers, including him, have been put on “C category” (requiring more documentation), as a targeted segment of voters is being deleted from rolls, he claimed.Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju told the opposition that he would get back to them on their demand after consulting key govt functionaries, but gave no assurance. Rijiju had in the last session cited a ruling by then LS Speaker Balram Jakhar in 1988, when Congress was in office, that the House could not debate decisions and functioning of Election Commission to reject opposition’s demand for a discussion on SIR.The opposition’s protest had washed out LS and Rajya Sabha proceedings, except for a discussion on Operation Sindoor, in that session.At Sunday’s meeting, BJP ally and JDU working president Sanjay Jha made light of the opposition’s case against SIR by highlighting that its strident stand cut little ice with people in Bihar, the first state where it was carried out, and no voter or political party came forward with any official complaint.In the meeting attended by 50 representatives from 36 parties, govt shared 14 items, including 13 bills, of its tentative agenda and sought the opposition’s support. Rijiju conveyed govt’s keenness on a discussion of Vande Mataram, the national song whose 150th anniversary was observed with much fervour recently by BJP-led NDA.Congress later held a strategy meet of its key leaders with sources saying the party was veering to the stand that the demand for a SIR discussion was non-negotiable.In business advisory meetings of LS and RS, in which govt and opposition functionaries work out Parliament’s agenda, the deadlock remained. Some opposition members, including CPM’s John Brittas, suggested a short-duration discussion on electoral reforms to get around govt’s unwillingness to discuss SIR as the issue can also cover the ongoing exercise in 12 states and UTs.
