Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition uproar over Bihar electoral rolls revision

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha proceedings on Monday were adjourned within minutes of convening, as Opposition MPs protested against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Soon after official papers were laid on the table, Opposition members trooped into the aisles and the well of the House, shouting slogans over what they termed “vote chori” (electoral theft) through the SIR.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh rejected 29 notices under Rule 267, which allows suspension of listed business to discuss urgent matters. He said the notices were related to five different subjects but did not meet procedural requirements, 11 lacked a properly framed motion, while the remaining 18 sought discussion on matters sub judice, including the SIR, which is currently before the Supreme Court.

Quoting the rules, Harivansh said parliamentary discussions should avoid influencing court cases, and that Rule 267 could be invoked only for the “rarest of rare” issues. He also cited Rule 238(5), which bars discussion on individuals in high authority except through a substantive motion.

Opposition MPs continued to raise slogans, forcing the Chair to attempt moving to Zero Hour, which is meant for matters of public importance. Harivansh noted that disruptions had severely impacted productivity in the Monsoon Session, out of 210 Zero Hour mentions, 210 starred questions, and 210 special mentions scheduled so far, only a fraction had been addressed. The House, he said, had lost over 62 hours due to repeated protests.

With the Opposition unrelenting, the Deputy Chairman adjourned proceedings till 2 pm. Earlier, he also clarified that remarks he made on August 8 regarding Rule 267 were not intended to offend any member, urging MPs to comply with parliamentary rules to avoid further loss of time.