NEW DELHI: The government on Monday declined to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) undertaken in Bihar ahead of the state assembly elections, maintaining that the topic comes under the Election Commission of India (ECI), even as the opposition protest continued in the Lok Sabha.Following the protests, the Speaker held a meeting with opposition MPs representing various parties including the Congress, DMK and TMC wherein the opposition suggested that if the government is not willing to discuss SIR, then discussion can be had on electoral reforms, voter deletion etc, which comes under the law ministry. However, the government was firm on its stand and declined to concede to the demands of the opposition.Following this, chief whip and Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that since all the doors for discussion are closed the opposition is left with no other option but to carry on with the protests.Earlier, Manickam Tagore had moved an adjournment motion to discuss the SIR. Submitting the adjournment motion, Manickam Tagore alleged that the SIR has “disproportionately affected” marginalised communities, and warned that similar “targeted disenfranchisement may soon spread to other states like Assam and West Bengal.” The opposition also raised the issue of raising of about 6.5 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu. The EC rejected the contentions linking the SIR with the addition of voters in Tamil Nadu as “absurd.”
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