Araria (Bihar) [India], July 28 : Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday criticised the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and termed it a "Puppet Commission."
Alleging "rigging" in Bihar's electoral rolls, the former Deputy Chief Minister said that the way this process has been completed and the level of rigging that has taken place is probably "unprecedented."
Addressing reporters here, Yadav said, "The SIR process is almost complete, but the way this process has been completed, the level of rigging that has taken place is probably unprecedented. We have repeatedly urged the Election Commission to ensure that the voter list is impartial... What happened just before the election clearly shows that the Election Commission is no longer the Election Commission but has become a 'puppet commission'... If injustice is being done to the people, we, all the opposition parties, will not let the rights of the people be snatched away..."
Earlier in the day, both the houses of Parliament were adjourned thrice amid sloganeering by Opposition members demanding a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar.
Prominent leaders from the India bloc, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav protested outside Makar Dwar of Parliament over the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls.
The protest saw participation from across Opposition parties, with leaders holding banners which read "Loktantra par vaar" (attack on democracy) and placards that read "Stop SIR", accusing the government of undermining democratic values.
Also present at the demonstration were Assam Congress Chief Gaurav Gogoi and CPI(ML)(Liberation) MP Raja Ram Singh Kushwaha, reflecting the broad base of concern over the alleged expansion of SIR.
On Sunday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said that out of 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar, over 7.24 crore electors have submitted their enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) held from June 24 to July 25, reflecting a 91.69 per cent participation rate.
The Commission described the SIR as a "massive and successful citizen participation effort" across the state, aimed at enhancing the accuracy of the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming assembly elections. According to the official press note released by the ECI, the enumeration exercise was launched to verify and update voter records across all 38 districts of Bihar.