Parliament Winter Session Day 7: Opposition all set to debate election reforms today
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha is expected to open discussions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise on Tuesday. Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will launch the much-anticipated debate.
Opposition parties have long called for a discussion on the SIR, with the Congress party highlighting alleged discrepancies in the voter list and concerns about pressure exerted on Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
Rahul Gandhi has been a vocal critic of the Election Commission of India's SIR initiative, repeatedly pointing to flaws in the voter list and the conduct of the revision exercise.
Earlier, on November 23, Gandhi stated that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a deliberate scheme where citizens face harassment, and the deaths of Booth Level Officers due to excessive pressure are casually dismissed as “collateral damage”. He described it not as a failure but as a conspiracy—a sacrifice of democracy to shield those in power.
Senior Congress leaders joining the debate include K C Venugopal, Manish Tewari, Varsha Gaikwad, Mohammed Javaid, Ujjwal Raman Singh, Isa Khan, Ravi Mallu, Imran Masood, Gowaal Padavi and S Jyotimani.
Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to initiate a discussion on the same topic.
The combined debate across both houses has been allocated a total of 10 hours.
Indigo crisis on agenda
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu is scheduled to address the Lok Sabha at 12 pm on Tuesday regarding the ongoing IndiGo crisis, following his discussion on the matter in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
This announcement comes amid persistent delays and cancellations across IndiGo’s network, which have left passengers stranded at airports across the country.
In his Rajya Sabha address, the Minister attributed the passenger difficulties to the airline’s internal crew rostering and operational planning issues, clarifying that the problems were not related to the Aircraft Maintenance and Scheduling System (AMSS).
Congress MP Manickam Tagore had submitted a notice in the Lok Sabha calling for the suspension of business to demand a discussion on the government’s failure to prevent and address the unprecedented IndiGo flight disruptions, widespread passenger harassment and the exploitative rise in airfares.
Other business in the Lok Sabha includes the presentation of four reports by BJP MPs Radha Mohan Singh and Virendra Singh. These stem from the Standing Committee on Defence and cover the government's response to previous observations and recommendations regarding the Ministry of Defence’s Budget for 2025-26.
In addition, United People's Party Liberal MP Joyanta Basumatary and BJP MP Rodmal Nagar will lay out the Final Action Taken statements from the Standing Committee on Water Resources. These statements address key issues such as the ‘Review of Upper Yamuna River Cleaning Projects up to Delhi and River Bed Management in Delhi’ and the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s demands for grants for 2024-25.
The 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha and the 269th Session of the Rajya Sabha began on December 1, marking the start of Parliament’s Winter Session. The session is scheduled to conclude on December 19.
ANI