NEW DELHI: Signaling that the government may not concede to the opposition’s demand for a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Saturday said that the Opposition must go by the precedent of former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar, who declined such a demand.Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha have failed to conduct any business on Thursday and Friday over the Opposition’s demand for a debate on the Bihar SIR and other issues. The opposition has maintained that they will intensify the protest inside and outside the Parliament if the government does not pay heed to their demand. Responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a discussion in Parliament on Bihar electoral roll revision, Meghwal said, “I think the Opposition should look at the precedent of former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar in this regard.”Balram Jakhar, who served as Lok Sabha Speaker from 1980 to 1989, issued a ruling stating that Parliament cannot discuss the functioning of the Election Commission. Jakhar had turned down a demand for a discussion in the House on the Election Commission’s functioning, given that the poll panel is conceived as an independent entity.The minister further said that while the government has been constantly requesting the Opposition to allow the Parliament to function smoothly, the aim of the Congress and its leader in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is beyond understanding.Accusing the Congress MP and his party of overlooking facts and defaming the constitutional institutions of the country, Meghwal said Gandhi should present his grievances about the polling process before the EC.
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