Winter Session: INDIA Bloc Meets, Opposition Corners Govt Over SIR Row

Ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, the INDIA alliance held a crucial strategy meeting at Mallikarjun Kharge’s office, attended by Rahul Gandhi, Gaurav Gogoi and senior Opposition leaders. The alliance made it clear that the House will not function unless an immediate discussion is held on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Opposition parties allege that SIR is being misused to delete voter names and is linked to the rising number of BLO deaths under excessive workload. The government, however, has reiterated that SIR is the exclusive domain of the Election Commission and cannot be debated in Parliament. BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said the Opposition is deliberately obstructing proceedings and should take their concerns to the Election Commission or the Supreme Court where the matter is already under consideration. With the government preparing to introduce 14 key bills and the Opposition standing firm on SIR, indications suggest that the Winter Session is likely to witness heavy disruption.