Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken by the Election Commission (EC) in Bihar, ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. She accused the government of “murdering democracy,” reported news agency ANI.
“They are murdering democracy. We have been protesting against it, and this is wrong,” Gandhi told ANI.
This development comes amidst protests by the INDIA bloc and its leaders on Parliament premises against the electoral rolls revision exercise. Opposition leaders have alleged that the voting rights of people are being unjustly taken away.
According to PTI, Priyanka Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter), alleging that elections were “rigged” in Maharashtra earlier by inflating the voter list, and now, attempts were being made to remove voters` names in Bihar. She labelled the SIR exercise a “conspiracy to snatch right to vote.”
“First, in Maharashtra, elections were rigged by inflating voter lists. Now, in Bihar, attempts are being made to do the same by removing voters` names. The `vote ban` being imposed under the guise of SIR is a conspiracy to snatch the right to vote granted by the Constitution. We stand firmly against every attempt to trample the Constitution,” Gandhi, who participated in the protest, stated.
पहले महाराष्ट्र में वोटर लिस्ट में वोटर बढ़ाकर चुनाव की चोरी की गई। अब बिहार में वोटर के नाम काटकर यही करने की कोशिश की जा रही है। Special Intensive Revision (SIR) के नाम पर लागू की जा रही `वोटबंदी` संविधान में दिए गए वोट के अधिकार को छीनने की साजिश है। हम संविधान को कुचलने की हर… pic.twitter.com/QmHjRVxMGi
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 22, 2025
Additionally, multiple leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, stood on the steps of Parliament at Makar Dwar and protested against the Bihar SIR, calling for the exercise to be stopped, ANI reported.
Moreover, several leaders were seen carrying posters condemning the revision exercise, with placards labelling it “stealing of Indian Rights,” “death of democracy,” and more.
Meanwhile, the issue of Bihar SIR has become a contentious one, with INDIA bloc MPs demanding a discussion on it in Parliament.
Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi criticised the government and the EC for carrying out the SIR exercise in Bihar, alleging that their intention was to “cut the votes.”
“We will raise this issue in the House, as they want to cut the votes. The entire opposition is speaking on it and is united,” he told ANI.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram stated, “I view the SIR like the Jim Crow laws in America during the days of segregation…SIR is going to be used as a tool to disenfranchise people of the minority community.”
Several Congress MPs moved adjournment motion notices in both houses of Parliament to discuss the ongoing voter list revision in Bihar, ANI reported.
Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, S Jothimani, Ranjeet Ranjan, and Neeraj Dangi moved the notice for an adjournment motion to discuss the same issue today. However, both the Upper and Lower Houses witnessed chaos and were adjourned until 2:00 PM amidst sloganeering by the opposition.
(With inputs from ANI)