Opposition Demands SIR and National Security Debate; Government Pledges Smooth Winter Session
On Sunday, prior to the upcoming winter session of Parliament scheduled to begin on Monday, the government conducted an all-party meeting in which many of the opposing parties asked that Parliament hold discussions regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for electoral rolls and the current National Security situation due to the bombing in Delhi, as well as the continuing increase in air pollution in India.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) November 30: The Opposition at the All Political Parties' meeting on Sunday (November 30, 2025) also stated that if a discussion regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls takes place, the functioning of both Houses of Parliament will be disrupted.
Representatives from 36 political parties attended the meeting, in addition to representatives from the Government, including Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Leader of House in the Rajya Sabha from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), J.P. Nadda.
Opposition Accuses Government of Undermining Democracy
The opposition leaders adamantly insisted on holding a national security debate following the bomb blast in New Delhi. They also accused the government of trying to "destroy democracy" as well as "destroy our parliamentary system."
According to Jairam Ramesh, Congress’ General Secretary Communication, the purpose of this meeting was mainly to finalize the agenda for the Winter Session of Parliament (which begins on December 1), and that it serves little purpose since parties had already decided what to propose.
He said, "This session of 15 days will be the shortest in Parliamentary history. The Modi government has listed 13 Bills for passage. Of these one replaces an ordinance and two have gone through a committee of the Lok Sabha. So ten Bills have not been examined by the Standing Committee concerned," on X.
Gaurav Gogoi's Accusations
From a previous press conference regarding the All-Party Meeting, Gaurav Gogoi, Deputy Leader of the Congress Party in the Lok Sabha, claimed that the ruling party led by Prime Minister Modi intends to “destroy democracy” and “destroy our parliamentary system.”
"The government is insistent on ending parliamentary traditions. The winter session is only 19 days long, of which discussions can take place only for 15 days. This will likely be the shortest winter session ever. There has been a delay as well in calling the parliament session so it seems the government itself wants to derail parliament," he said.
John Brittas's Unity Call
John Brittas, a Member of Parliament representing the Communist Party of India (Marxist), stated that all opposition parties had unanimously supported discussing the SIR movement active in twelve states and union territories.
“The opposition parties were unanimous that the issue of SIR should be discussed, along with national security, rural distress and federal issues, how governors sit on bills passed by state legislatures... [a] whole range of issues was raised by the opposition and other parties,” said Brittas.
Government Assures Cooperation and Efficient Conduct of Winter Session
After the meeting of all political parties, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, explained that the feedback from each political party was constructive and that the Government will be implementing these suggestions in a positive manner. He indicated that the goal of the Government is to allow Parliament to work efficiently, without being hindered by any obstructions.
Furthermore, Kiren Rijiju confirmed that the Government will be working with all political parties throughout the entire duration of the session to guarantee that the session progresses smoothly. Additionally, he stated that the Business Advisory Committee will be meeting later tonight to review the issues raised during the All-Party Meeting.
