Amid opposition protests over Bihar voter list revision, Lok Sabha adjourned for day

New Delhi: Amid vociferous and continuous protests by members of opposition parties demanding a discussion on the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday. The House will now reconvene only on Monday.

Before the House was adjourned, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman withdrew the earlier 'Income-Tax Bill, 2025', with the Select Committee having submitted its report on it.

As the House assembled at 3 pm, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, asked Sitharaman to move for leave to withdraw the Bill. She then withdrew the Bill, reports PTI.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said it was unfortunate that opposition parties are wasting time when private member bills were to be taken up. "Now, opposition parties must not say that the government did not cooperate, as the government has said from the beginning that it is willing to discuss all issues under the rules," he said.

Opposition members raised slogans like "SIR wapas lo (roll back SIR)", "SIR pe charcha karo (take up discussion on SIR)" in the House, referring to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Earlier in the day, some members were even seen banging the table of the Lok Sabha Speaker, which was strongly objected to by presiding officer Tenneti.

"Yeh dhol nahi hai (this is not a drum). You cannot bang the table like this. I take strong objection to banging of the Lok Sabha Speaker's table," Tenneti, a TDP member, said.

With the members unrelenting in their protests, Tenneti, adjourned the proceedings till 3 pm.

When the House convened at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla paid homage to former Lok Sabha member and former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik, who passed away on August 5. He also read out a reference on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement.

Soon after the Speaker read out the references, opposition members shouted slogans, displayed placards and some of them trooped into the Well as they protested against the SIR.

Despite the din, five questions and supplementaries were taken up during the 23 minutes of Question Hour. With no let-up in the protests, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings till noon.

The opposition has been demanding a discussion on the SIR exercise initiated by the Election Commission in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections due later this year.