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National News: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday delivered a sharp warning to opposition MPs, cautioning them against damaging government property during their ongoing protests in Parliament. His statement came as members of the INDIA bloc continued their demonstrations over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar and other contentious matters.
Speaking in the House amid repeated sloganeering, Birla urged lawmakers to remember their constitutional responsibility. “If you ask questions with the same intensity with which you raise slogans, it will benefit the people of this country. Citizens have not sent you here to damage public property. No member has any privilege to do that,” the Speaker firmly stated.
Birla cautioned that if such behavior continued, he would be left with no choice but to take strict steps. “If anyone attempts to harm government property, I will be compelled to take decisive decisions, and the entire nation will witness it,” he warned.
The Speaker emphasized that similar misconduct in several state assemblies had previously led to disciplinary action against legislators. “I am repeating my request and my warning—do not attempt to destroy government property,” he said.
Despite the Speaker’s repeated appeals, opposition protests disrupted the functioning of the House. Slogans were raised against the government, forcing the Lok Sabha proceedings to be adjourned until noon.
Earlier in the day, INDIA bloc leaders also held protests outside Parliament, targeting the government over the ongoing SIR in Bihar. They claimed that the voter list revision was politically motivated and conducted in a hurried manner, alleging that the process was designed to benefit the ruling party.
The protests are linked to the Election Commission’s decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming polls. Opposition parties, including Congress and RJD, have alleged serious irregularities such as duplicate entries, voters registered on incorrect addresses, and manipulation of electoral lists.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, however, has strongly denied these allegations, saying the process is transparent and mandated under the Representation of the People Act. He argued that such revisions are routine before elections and pointed out that a similar exercise had been conducted in Bihar in 2003 during the monsoon season.
The standoff between the ruling alliance and opposition is now playing out on the floor of Parliament, with Speaker Om Birla caught in the middle of maintaining order while ensuring space for dissent. While protests are likely to continue, Birla’s stern message signaled that any act of vandalism or destruction will invite immediate consequences.
As the session progresses, the clash over the SIR exercise in Bihar is expected to remain one of the central flashpoints in the political battle between the government and the INDIA bloc.