On Monday, opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, protested in Delhi against the revision of voter lists in Bihar. They claimed the changes could lead to “vote theft” and marched from Parliament House towards the Election Commission. However, the police stopped them midway and detained the MPs amid tense scenes.
Police had set up barricades near the Press Trust of India building to block the MPs from reaching the Election Commission office. When stopped, some MPs sat on the road and raised slogans, while some women MPs climbed the barricades and shouted slogans against the Election Commission. Later, the police took all the MPs to the Parliament Street Police Station, but they were released after a while.
Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to the Election Commission requesting a meeting to discuss the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar and other related issues. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju responded by saying the Election Commission had invited a 30-member delegation to discuss the matter, with two members from each party. Rijiju criticized the Opposition for not deciding on their representatives and questioned why they sought a large meeting when the Commission had offered a smaller one.
On the same day, Parliament passed eight Bills despite the Opposition’s protests and disruptions. Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the Opposition for repeatedly disrupting both Houses and said the government would continue its work without their cooperation. He also hinted that the monsoon session might end early because the Opposition was not interested in letting Parliament work smoothly.
The protest and the detention of MPs highlight the rising political tensions over Bihar’s voter list revision. The Opposition alleges the process is unfair and could affect election results, while the government and Election Commission maintain that the revision is fair and transparent. This issue remains a key political debate as the country prepares for upcoming elections.
