Rahul Gandhi to kick off debate on electoral reforms today
What's the story
Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will kickstart a debate on election reforms in the Lower House on Tuesday. The opposition has been pushing for a discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls since the monsoon session started. However, the government has proposed a debate on election reforms instead, arguing that the Election Commission is an independent and constitutional body.
Political dynamics
BJP's strategy and Congress's response to election reforms debate
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to field senior leaders like Nishikant Dubey, PP Chaudhary, Abhijit Gangopadhyay and Sanjay Jaiswal for the two-day debate. The Congress party has also prepared a strong lineup of speakers including KC Venugopal, Manish Tewari, Varsha Gaikwad among others. Since the start of the Winter Session of Parliament this month, several opposition leaders have been protesting against the SIR outside the Parliament, holding placards like "Stop SIR—Stop Vote Chori."
Government response
Government's stance on SIR and upcoming debates
The government has defended the SIR drive, saying it aims to remove bogus voters. After negotiations between government and opposition floor leaders, both sides agreed to hold a discussion marking 150 years of Vande Mataram first. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced this decision on X, saying "it has been decided to hold discussion in Lok Sabha on 150th Anniversary of National Song 'Vande Mataram' from 12 Noon on Monday."