NEW DELHI, Dec. 2 -- Amid ongoing Opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Lok Sabha will take up a debate on the 150th anniversary of National Song "Vande Mataram'' on Monday and on electoral reforms on Tuesday.
The decision was taken after an all-party meeting and a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, signalling that the logjam prevailing in both Houses over the Opposition's demand to discuss the SIR of electoral rolls is likely to be broken.
"During the All Party Meeting Chaired by Speaker Lok Sabha today, it has been decided to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on 150th Anniversary of National Song 'Vande Mataram' from 12 Noon on Monday 8th December and discussion on Election Reforms from 12 noon on Tuesday 9th December," Rijiju said in a post on X.
Later, addressing the media, Rijiju said, "I am happy that the all-party floor leaders' meeting called by the Speaker was very fruitful and we all agreed that there will be a special discussion on the 150th anniversary of National Song Vande Mataram on Monday. The discussion will start at 12 noon and go on for the full day. It was also agreed that on Tuesday, 9th December, there will be a discussion on election reforms."
"When we discuss reforms in elections, you can discuss and talk about many issues related to elections and their process in our country. For a parliamentary democracy, the election process is extremely important. So, finally, everybody has agreed to the discussion and my special appeal to all the members, especially the opposition parties, is to cooperate fully with the decision taken. We all will take part," he said.
Rijiju said after both the discussions are over, "we will propose to take it up in the Rajya Sabha".
"In any case, the discussion can be initiated in either of the Houses. But we have decided that it will be taken up in the Lok Sabha first. Otherwise, both Houses have the privilege to take up any matter. After all, they are complementary to each other; both Houses are extremely important," he said.
Just ahead of the BAC meeting, Birla met party leaders to break the deadlock in the House over the opposition's demand for a discussion on SIR.
"The BAC meeting discussed the debates to be held on Vande Mataram and electoral reforms, (with) the opposition's SIR discussion debate clubbed under electoral reforms. On Monday, the House will take up the debate on Vande Mataram and then on Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will debate electoral reforms," Congress' chief whip K Suresh told reporters after the BAC meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will initiate the debate on 150 years of Vande Mataram, Suresh said. He said 10 hours each have been allotted to both the debates, adding that time could be extended if the House deems fit.
With the Lok Sabha set to take up a debate on electoral reforms next week, Congress MP Manickam Tagore claimed that the INDIA bloc won, with "arrogance" finally bowing to the "unity of 240 and 100 MPs".
In a post on X, Tagore said, "INDIA wins. Arrogance finally bows to the unity of 240 & 100MPs. Discussion on Electoral Reforms scheduled for December 9."
"One full Monsoon Session was washed away because of this. Two days of the Winter Session have already been wasted. Democracy is not a playground for diversion - it demands accountability," the Congress' whip in the Lok Sabha said.
The Speaker's meetings came in the wake of repeated disruptions in the Lok Sabha over the issue.
Earlier in the day, Rijiju met floor leaders of political parties but refused to give a timeline for the discussion on electoral reforms, contending that the opposition cannot dictate terms to the government. Rijiju is learnt to have ruled out a discussion on SIR, contending that it was an administrative matter of the Election Commission and the government had no role in it.
However, the minister was ready for a discussion on a broader subject of electoral reforms as it fell within the government's purview.
The opposition has been insisting that the government give an assurance on the floor of the House on the discussion on the SIR exercise.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the second consecutive day over opposition protests on the SIR exercise currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories.
On the first two days of the Parliament session, both Houses have witnessed a near washout as the Opposition continues to push for an immediate discussion on SIR and the numerous Block Level Officers who died while on duty, as reported across India.
On Day 2, Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha renewed their demand for an immediate discussion on the SIR of electoral rolls, leading to heated exchanges and disruption in the House.
As both the houses were adjourned on Tuesday, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi said the government is not ready to speak up on any issue, despite the ongoing irregularities in voter lists and the worsening air pollution in Delhi.
She said, "We have been demanding a discussion on so many issues, SIR, air pollution and others, since the last session. But they (govt) are not ready to discuss any issue. Is this how the Parliament should run? Parliament is the temple of democracy; all voices should be heard, of different voices and different thought processes, there should be discussion and then decisions should be made. But they (govt) are not ready to discuss any issue."
On SIR, she said, "You are changing the voter lists every other day and cutting the names of lakhs of voters. There is ongoing vote chori (vote theft). "
On air pollution, she said, "The air pollution in Delhi is getting worse, and the Prime Minister is saying the weather is pleasant. So, should we remain silent and not discuss anything?"
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.