The Rajya Sabha witnessed an uproar on Monday as Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), staged a walkout after their request for a discussion on alleged lapses by the Election Commission in issuing multiple duplicate voter ID cards and concerns over the upcoming delimitation exercise was denied.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh refused to entertain notices moved under Rule 267 by Opposition MPs, stating that they did not conform to previous rulings of the Chair.
The provision allows for the suspension of scheduled business to discuss an urgent matter.
The MPs from the TMC and Congress sought to highlight the issue of duplicate voter ID cards, while Tamil parties raised concerns about the potential impact of delimitation on southern states.
Despite repeated slogans and demands, the Deputy Chairman maintained that their notices had not been accepted, and no remarks on the matter would be recorded. Following this, the Opposition MPs walked out of the House in protest.
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A total of ten MPs had submitted notices under Rule 267.
According to Harivansh, TMC’s Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Mausam B. Noor, and Sushmita Dev, along with Congress’ Pramod Tiwari, had called for a debate on the Election Commission’s alleged lapses in issuing multiple Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) across states.
DMK’s P. Wilson and CPI(M)’s V. Sivadasan sought a discussion on the concerns surrounding the impending delimitation exercise, particularly its implications for southern states.
In contrast, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya raised the issue of increasing atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in West Bengal.
Other MPs brought forth additional matters of public interest. CPI’s P. Santhosh Kumar sought to discuss the impact of an agreement between telecom giants Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio with Elon Musk’s Starlink for satellite broadband internet services in India.
AAP’s Sanjay Singh called for a discussion on the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital, citing an increase in criminal activities.
Meanwhile, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP Haris Beeran urged the House to address the rising trend of drug addiction among students and youth in Kerala.
Despite the Opposition’s insistence on deliberating these pressing concerns, Harivansh ruled that their requests could not be entertained.
The continued refusal led to loud protests, culminating in the Opposition’s collective decision to exit the House in protest.
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