Oppn for SIR Debate Before Winter Session

The Winter session of Parliament beginning Monday will see the government push its reforms agenda with a legislation to open up the civil nuclear sector to private players (File image)

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has convened a meeting of floor leaders of political parties in Parliament on Sunday to ensure floor coordination during the session

New Delhi: A day ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, expected to begin on a stormy note on Monday Dec ember 1, 2025 , the Centre on Sunday held an all-party meeting where Opposition parties demanded that the House hold a discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being carried out by the Election Commission across 12 States and Union Territories.

After the two-hour meeting, Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the House should be allowed to function smoothly and that the government would continue engaging all parties to ensure orderly proceedings. Later in the day, during a meeting of the Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee (BAC), Opposition leaders again demanded that a short-duration discussion on the SIR be scheduled on the first day of the session.

Following the all party meeting, Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the ruling party, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was trying to “finish off democracy, derail Parliament, and bury Parliamentary traditions.” He said the Congress had demanded discussions on national security, air pollution, voter list integrity, farmers’ issues, and foreign policy. Several Opposition parties have united against the SIR and warned that they may stall proceedings in both Houses if a discussion is not allowed.

The meeting, chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, was attended by 50 leaders from 36 political parties. BJP president and Union minister J.P. Nadda, Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, and his deputies Arjun Ram Meghwal and L. Murugan also participated.

While the SIR dominated the meeting, leaders also raised other issues, including national security following the recent Delhi blast, air pollution, the pending labour codes, federalism concerns over governors withholding Bills passed by State legislatures, and alleged fund-blocking in Opposition-ruled states. Price rise, unemployment and foreign policy matters were also flagged. The government sought the Opposition’s cooperation for smooth functioning of Parliament and said it would continue consultations during the session.

The ruling NDA is expected to introduce 14 legislations in the session, the first after its emphatic victory in the Bihar Assembly polls. However, the government has decided not to move ahead with a proposed Constitution amendment Bill that would have granted additional legislative powers to the President for the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

On whether the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on SIR would be accommodated, Rijiju said the session agenda would be set by the BAC. He added that although SIR was a major issue, several other matters had also been raised. He stressed that uninterrupted functioning of Parliament would improve productivity and strengthen democracy.

At the BAC meeting chaired by Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan, Opposition parties reiterated their willingness to cooperate but urged him to allow a discussion on SIR on Monday. They also proposed discussion titles, such as “urgent need for further electoral reforms” or “urgent need to strengthen integrity and transparency of the electoral process.”

Gaurav Gogoi later said the government appeared intent on undermining democracy. He reiterated demands for discussions on national security, including the Delhi blast, air pollution, economic security for farmers, disaster preparedness, and foreign policy.

CPM leader John Brittas said the government would be fully responsible if Parliament was disrupted. Trinamul Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee said his party was ready to cooperate if the treasury benches allowed discussions on issues such as SIR. He alleged that 40 booth-level officers had died during the SIR exercise.

Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav warned that his party would not allow Parliament to function if SIR was not discussed, citing large-scale irregularities and deletion of voters, especially in Bihar.

DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said the entire Opposition was unanimous in demanding discussion on SIR. BJD leader Sasmit Patra said that while all parties wanted a discussion on SIR, his party also wanted a broader debate on electoral reforms.

The Winter Session will also witness a reform push, with legislation proposed to open the civil nuclear sector to private participation (The Atomic Energy Bill, 2025) and establish the Higher Education Commission of India. Other major Bills include the Securities Markets Code Bill, 2025; the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025.

The National Highways (Amendment) Bill, aimed at ensuring faster and more transparent land acquisition, and the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeking changes to the Companies Act and LLP Act to ease business operations, are also listed.

The Winter Session begins on Monday December 1, 2025 and will conclude on December 19, with a total of 15 sittings, far fewer than the usual 20, prompting the Opposition to label it a “brief session.”