INDIA bloc continues SIR protest: Telangana Congress demands urea for farmers; ruckus adjourns parliament

PTI photo

INDIA bloc on Tuesday continued their protests against Bihar SIR, outside Parliament, accusing the election commission of “vote theft”. Among those present were Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav. The protests have continued since the start of the monsoon session on 21 July, with ruling party MPs accusing the opposition of disrupting proceedings.Tuesday’s protests saw banners that read “Stop vote chori,” and described the ongoing revision of electoral rolls as “Silent invisible rigging.” Telangana Congress MPs also protested, demanding the release of urea for farmers in the state, urging the central government to act swiftly.The ruckus inside the parliament also led to the adjournment of both houses until after afternoon.Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pressed ahead with his 16-day ‘Voter adhikar rally’ in Bihar, highlighting “irregularities” in the voter list. On Tuesday, he travelled to Aurangabad to mark the second day of the campaign, which will cover more than 20 districts and 1,300 km. Responding to the allegations, the election commission held a press conference on Sunday. It dismissed claims of rigging and asked Rahul Gandhi to submit a signed affidavit with supporting evidence.NDA parliamentary party meetingNDA leaders gathered at the parliament library building on Tuesday for a parliamentary meeting. Prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, and senior ministers attended the session, which also felicitated vice presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan. After the meeting, union minister Kiren Rijiju said Modi had appealed to all MPs, including those in the opposition, to support Radhakrishnan in the upcoming election.