Patna (Bihar) [India], July 22 : Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui on Tuesday raised strong objections to the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls being carried out in Bihar and accused the Election Commission of attempting to "exclude" backwards communities, Dalits and minorities from the voter list.
Speaking to reporters, Siddiqui questioned the timing of the exercise and alleged inaction on the part of the Election Commission.
"Three crore people of Bihar go out of the state to work as labour and come to Bihar to use their right to vote, according to government data. What preparation has the Election Commission made for the illiterate and poor? Why was the Election Commission asleep till now? This projection is an excuse to exclude the backward classes, Dalits, minorities from the electoral roll," the RJD leader told reporters.
In a veiled jibe at BJP, Siddiqui said, "A special party claims Bangladeshis have migrated, and if so, it is the failure of the central government. Where was the BSF?... We will protest this on road and in the Assembly as well..."
Opposition parties along with RJD leader and Bihar LoP Legislative Council Rabri Devi has staged a protest outside Bihar Vidhan Sabha over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in the state.
The second day of the Bihar state assembly had the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties protesting on the steps of the assembly, holding placards and raising slogans against the alleged "vote theft" in the State ahead of the assembly polls. Reportedly, another door had to be opened to allow the MLAs to enter the assembly without any disruptions. The Opposition party MLAs have stated that they will disrupt the functioning of the house to expose the government.
Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc leaders also protested against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that voting rights of people are being taken away.
Multiple leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stood at the steps of the Parliament at Makar Dwar and protested against the Bihar SIR, calling for the exercise to be stopped.
They were seen carrying posters condemning the revision exercise, holding placards calling it a "stealing of Indian Rights" and "death of democracy."
The issue of Bihar SIR has been a contentious one with INDIA bloc MPs demanding a discussion on it in the parliament.