Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that the government is willing to hold a debate on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as the Opposition has been demanding but refused to set any timeline for it.
A united Opposition has logjammed Parliament since Monday, which was Day One of the Winter Session, for an immediate discussion on the SIR process underway in 12 states and Union Territories.
The confrontation began Tuesday afresh after Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge pressed for an urgent discussion, arguing that the SIR exercise had become a matter of national concern.
Rijiju said he would consult leaders from various parties on Tuesday to “chalk out a solution,” but urged the Opposition not to dictate procedural timelines.
“Please don't put timeline condition on anything,” Rijiju told the House.
He added, “I am going to engage with leaders of various political parties, it may be formally or informally. Ultimately, it will come to you when we start the consultations. The problem begins when you start questioning the time. Everything cannot be mechanical. In Parliamentary democracy, we have to engage in dialogue, we have to engage in discussion.”
Leader of the House J.P. Nadda backed the minister.
“We will come back. I am told that very soon a meeting is going to take place with Opposition leaders and very soon we will decide,” Nadda said.
Rijiju also hit out at the Opposition: “You are unable to win elections and people do not believe in you and you vent out your anger in Parliament. This is not right… They try to fix the time, saying government should tell now. This is not right.”
Earlier, Kharge protested the rejection of notices submitted under Rule 267, saying the chairman did not list the subjects or specify reasons. He argued that the tradition of reading out the names and subjects of notices had been abruptly discontinued.
“Our appeal is that there should be an immediate discussion on SIR. This is a very serious issue, because the lives of BLOs are at stake in the country. Discussion on SIR is in the interest of the country, citizens, and democracy. We are all ready to discuss this issue with the government,” he said.
The Opposition claims that more than 28 booth-level officers (BLOs) have died due to work pressure linked to the SIR.
“I want the discussion to take place now, only in the interest of democracy, citizens and our country. I request that you allow the discussion. We will cooperate with you if you allow,” Kharge added.
On Tuesday morning, MPs from the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, CPM, CPI and Aam Aadmi Party collectively demanded that the House immediately take up the matter.
“The Parliamentary Affairs minister had reached out to the Opposition MPs for a meeting. The Opposition insisted on attending a meeting only after the House is adjourned,” a Rajya Sabha MP said.
A meeting between Rijiju and Opposition MPs was held at 12.30pm.
“We gave the minister time till 2pm to announce on the floor of the House that the government will discuss the issue (of SIR) over the next two days in both the Houses,” the MP said.
Trinamool’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sagarika Ghose, wrote on X that trust between the Treasury and Opposition benches had eroded.
“Opposition wants Parliament to run in order to discuss the most important issue of electoral reform (SIR, deaths of BLOs and deaths of innocent people). We are in the midst of a colossal human tragedy. The Opposition wants the Government to come to the floor of the House Tuesday at 2pm and make its intention clear. Discussions can’t wait, discussion needs to start,” she posted.
In another intervention in the Upper House, Rijiju reiterated that the government had not rejected the Opposition’s request.
“The demand, which you have put forward, has not been rejected. So, don’t presume that the government is not ready to discuss any matter,” he said.
He stressed that the scheduling of debates would follow the Business Advisory Committee’s (BAC) framework.
“We are ready for discussion as per BAC, but don’t insist on a timeline now,” he said, pointing out that several other issues were also pending for discussion.
The government has maintained that the SIR exercise is being conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), an autonomous constitutional body, and that Parliament cannot debate its internal processes.
In the Lok Sabha, proceedings were adjourned till noon for the second day of the Winter Session after Opposition MPs raised slogans demanding a discussion on the SIR.
Speaker Om Birla opened the session by welcoming a parliamentary delegation from Georgia before resuming the Question Hour.
However, protests continued, prompting the adjournment even as two MPs managed to raise questions and receive ministerial replies.