Members of opposition parties disrupted proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Monday, July 28, protesting the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The disruptions came as Parliament reconvened after the weekend break, ahead of a scheduled debate on the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor.
Due to the uproar, both Houses were adjourned—Lok Sabha until 1 PM and Rajya Sabha until 2 PM.
The Lok Sabha was set to begin discussions on the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed in Jammu and Kashmir. In response to the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The debate was expected to see intense exchanges between the ruling NDA, led by the BJP, and the opposition. Top leaders from both sides were slated to speak, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expected to address the House around noon. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, was set to lead the Opposition’s response.
However, before the debate could begin, opposition MPs disrupted the House over the Bihar SIR issue. As soon as proceedings began with Question Hour in the morning, members raised slogans demanding a discussion and assurance from the government regarding the SIR exercise. Speaker Om Birla urged the MPs to allow the House to function, citing the importance of the scheduled national security debate. Despite his appeals, he was forced to adjourn the House first until noon, and then again until 1 PM due to continued protests.
The core of the opposition’s protest is the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s voter rolls, which they allege is politically motivated and designed to benefit the BJP in the upcoming state elections. They argue that the process could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
The ECI has firmly denied these claims. In a statement issued on July 27, the ECI reiterated that no names would be deleted from the voter rolls without following proper procedures. It also emphasized that the SIR exercise is inclusive and aims only to ensure the accuracy of the electoral list. The Commission outlined 10 key objectives of the SIR to demonstrate its commitment to transparency and voter inclusion.
Parliament was similarly stalled during the previous week over the same issue, with the opposition united in demanding a full debate on the matter.
