Govt Ready for SIR Discussion; Opposition Chose Disruption, Says Giriraj Singh

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Amid ongoing tensions in Parliament over the Standardisation of Electoral Roll (SIR) issue, Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday accused the opposition of deliberately avoiding discussion despite the government’s willingness to engage. Speaking to reporters, Singh said the opposition benches resorted to disruptions even though the Treasury was prepared to take up the topic.

“We were ready. We never said we wouldn't discuss it, but they (the opposition) didn't want to,” Singh said. He alleged that opposition members had planned to “create a ruckus” and obstruct proceedings in the Lok Sabha to avoid a structured debate. “They wanted to disrupt the Lok Sabha,” he added.

Singh reiterated that the government had publicly maintained its readiness for discussion from the start. “The government has been saying from the beginning that it is ready for discussion,” he said. According to him, it was only after sensing public dissatisfaction with the disruptions that the opposition agreed to return to the debating table. “When the public gave them (the opposition) a slap, they also agreed,” he remarked.