Opposition holds ‘T-shirt protest’ against SIR, ‘vote chori’ in Parliament

INDIA bloc MPs staged their 15th day of protest in Parliament against the Election Commission’s voter roll revision in Bihar, alleging fraud and “silent invisible rigging.” Wearing “124-year-old voter” T-shirts, they demanded the Special Intensive Revision be scrapped before elections

New Delhi: Several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties held a protest in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday against the Election Commission’s voter roll revision in Bihar, with many of them wearing white T-shirts that had the name of a “124-year-old voter” allegedly found on the state’s voters’ list emblazoned on it.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, DMK’s TR Baalu, NCP(SP)’s Supriya Sule, as well as other opposition MPs from DMK and Left parties, gathered near Parliament’s Makar Dwar. They held posters and raised slogans, demanding a rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

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This was the 15th day of the protest.

A banner in front of the protesting MPs read “Our Vote. Our Right. Our Fight”. Another banner carried by the protesting MPs read “SIR – Silent Invisible Rigging”.

Several MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi, were seen wearing white T-shirts with ‘Minta Devi’ and her photo emblazoned on it and ‘124 Not Out’ written at the back.

Congress’ Manickam Tagore alleged that the EC under Rajeev Kumar and Gyanesh Kumar has become a department of the BJP.

“Minta Devi is a first time voter and she is 124-years-old. The voters list carries her name as first time voter. We are wanting a discussion on such issues. How EC has become a party to the BJP. The voter list is full of such fraud,” he charged while participating in the protest.

The MPs also carried “Stop SIR” and “vote chori” placards along with posters alleging collusion between the EC and the government.

The opposition has been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging that the EC’s exercise is aimed at “disenfranchising voters” in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections due later this year. They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses.

There has been a logjam in Parliament over the SIR in Bihar. Barring discussions on Operation Sindoor in the two Houses, Parliament has seen little business ever since the Monsoon session began on July 21 due to repeated adjournments, mostly over the SIR issue.

On Monday, opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Pawar, took out a protest march from the Parliament House to the Election Commission office against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged “vote chori”, but were stopped midway by the police and briefly detained amid high drama.

As opposition MPs, wearing white caps with a red cross on the words ‘SIR’ and “vote chori”, started walking from Parliament’s Makar Dwar to the EC office, carrying placards and banners, they were stopped by the police by putting up barricades outside the PTI Building.

Many of the MPs sat on the road and raised slogans while some women parliamentarians climbed the barricades. They were later whisked away by police in buses lined up along the road and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.

All the MPs were later released.