New Delhi [India], July 24 : Amid the row over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted by the Election Commission of India (EC) in Bihar, Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq on Thursday demanded to stop the exercise, calling it unconstitutional.
Speaking to ANI, Barq emphasised that the entire opposition is protesting against the electoral exercise.
"Our country has a government elected by the people, and if the right to vote of the people is taken away, our purpose in Parliament is to protect the interests of the people. The entire opposition is protesting against it (SIR). We want such unconstitutional actions that are being taken, including cutting votes, and people's votes are being undermined, should be stopped," the Samajwadi Party MP said.
He further asked that if the right to vote is snatched, then how can it be called a people's government?
Earlier, the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday warned of boycotting the upcoming Bihar elections if the SIR is not stopped.
Addressing media personnel, Tejashwi Yadav said, "When everything has been decided from before that the names of lakhs of people will be deleted from the voter's list, and when these same voters voted for PM Modi in the past and decided the fate of the government, then it was all right. We are asking how the sudden need for SIR arose now. It means that the people in power are acknowledging that they came to power through deception earlier, and now the same thing will be repeated. When they have decided to be dishonest, then we (all parties in the Mahagathbandhan) could talk about boycotting the elections. We have this option."
He further stated that he would discuss this with all the parties of the Mahagathbandhan.
"What is the meaning of polls if people in a democracy do not vote. The option to boycott polls is available to us. The main game will be played by EC after August 1, when scrutiny will be done," he said.
Opposition leaders held a protest on Thursday in front of the Bihar Assembly over the issue of Bihar SIR.
Meanwhile, the INDIA Bloc MPs, for the fourth consecutive day, protested against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted by the Election Commission (EC) in poll-bound Bihar. The MPs gathered at Parliament Makar Dwar and called for a stop to the exercise.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji, Deputy Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha, among multiple other leaders, attended the protest.
Carrying a banner which read "SIR-Attack on Democracy," the MPs stood at Makar Dwar, demanding that the voter list revision be halted.
The Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year, in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not yet announced an official date.