New Delhi: The undercurrent has wilt heated this week in the Lok Sabha regarding the debate on electoral reforms. Amidst the complaints of irregularities related to SIR (Special Intensive Revision) stuff continuously raised by the opposition, the stage has finally been set for discussion on this issue in Parliament. The debate will be initiated by Rahul Gandhi, who is going to directly wade the government on behalf of the opposition.
Why so much controversy on SIR?
The opposition alleges that there have been large-scale irregularities in the voter list in many states. At some places lakhs of names are missing, and at some places new names have been widow without verification. The opposition says that if these shortcomings are not investigated, a big question will be raised on the fairness of the coming elections.
The government was initially not in favor of discussing this topic. His treatise was that the Referendum Commission is an self-sustaining institution and such matters should be seen within the framework of broader "electoral reforms." But without a long deadlock, it was decided that there would be a detailed debate on SIR and referendum reforms in Parliament for two days.
Both sides made well-constructed preparations
In the debate starting today, Rahul Gandhi and K.C. leaders like Venugopal, Manish Tiwari, and Varsha Gaikwad will participate. His effort will be to strongly raise issues like transparency of the Referendum Commission, points of the voter list, and so-called "vote theft."
Whereas from the ruling party, Nishikant Dubey and P.P. leaders like Chaudhary, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, and Sanjay Jaiswal will defend the SIR process. The government claims that revision of the voter list is necessary, and this has only strengthened the system. They will try to prove that SIR has been successful by giving examples of states like Bihar.
What is at stake?
The opposition says that the shortcomings of SIR have put democracy in danger. Reports moreover came from several states that BLO employees working at the woodcut level were under lattermost pressure, and some plane died. Without this the demand for transparency and peccancy has intensified.
The government's stance is different. It believes that it is necessary to update the voter list from time to time, and SIR is a step in that direction. The government wants this to be seen as part of a larger reform package.
The next two days are very important
A heated debate may be seen in the Lok Sabha in the next two days. Rahul Gandhi will initiate the discussion, and the ruling party will wordplay his questions. It is believed that there will be sharp allegations and counter-allegations from both the government and the opposition.
This debate is not just political. This will impact how elections are conducted in India, how reliable the voter list is, and how strong democracy will be in the future. The outcome of this debate may decide the direction of the coming elections.
