The opening day of Parliament's winter session witnessed fierce accusations from the opposition, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge leading the charge by accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in "dramabazi" or theatrical drama. The opposition slammed the BJP-led government for allegedly shunning meaningful debate on critical public issues and bulldozing legislation.
Kharge's Scathing Attack on Parliamentary Conduct
Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that over the past 11 years, the BJP government has systematically shattered established parliamentary conventions. He accused the government of refusing to engage in debates on matters of public concern and forcefully passing bills detrimental to the common man, citing the now-repealed farm laws as a prime example.
Kharge highlighted that during the recent Monsoon session, the government passed 12 bills without discussion in less than 15 minutes. He also pointed to the Prime Minister's prolonged silence on the Manipur turmoil, noting that the PM only addressed the issue after the opposition was compelled to move a no-confidence motion.
"BJP should now end this drama of distraction and engage in debate on real issues facing the people," Kharge demanded. He emphasized that the common man is grappling with unemployment, inflation, economic inequality, and the looting of national resources, while those in power are "playing the game of dramabazi in arrogance of authority."
Focus on BLO Deaths and Voter List Revision
The opposition has vowed to continue demanding a discussion on what they term 'vote chori' (vote theft), particularly in the wake of deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sharpened this attack, responding to PM Modi's "drama" jibe at the opposition.
Akhilesh Yadav posed pointed questions: "Is the death of BLOs a 'drama' too? Was the police-BJP nexus in UP polls, where cops were flashing revolvers to stop voters, also a 'drama'?" He demanded that the Election Commission provide a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of BLOs who died due to the stressful SIR exercise.
Calling for a parliamentary discussion on the SIR process, Yadav alleged chaos and poor training of BLOs tasked with enrolling voters. "It is EC's job to enrol voters, but here political parties are running around to ensure that voting rights are safeguarded," he stated.
Allegations of a Political Purge Through SIR
Akhilesh Yadav levelled serious allegations about the intent behind the Special Summary Revision. He claimed the exercise is being conducted to help the BJP win after their loss in the Lok Sabha elections. He alleged that big IT companies are assisting the BJP in weeding out voters and identifying who should be included in the lists.
"In UP and Bengal, we can clearly see that BJP wants to oust voters at the booths where opposition parties won in the Lok Sabha elections," Yadav alleged, framing the SIR as a tool for political manipulation rather than a neutral administrative exercise.
The opposition's unified stance signals a stormy winter session, with their focus firmly on holding the government accountable for parliamentary conduct, the welfare of election officials, and the integrity of the electoral roll revision process.
