New Delhi | The government is ready for a discussion on the SIR issue and electoral reforms in Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, but asked Opposition parties not to insist on setting a timeline.

As the Opposition demanded discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for a second day in a row, Rijiju said he will hold discussions with leaders of various political parties to decide on the issue.

His statement came after opposition MPs stormed into the well of the House and raised slogans demanding discussion on SIR.

Leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 28 block-level officers (BLOs) have died due to the excessive workload of SIR. "This is an urgent matter. We want the discussion to take place now. In the interest of democracy, in the interest of citizens, in the interest of the country, you should allow a discussion (on SIR). We will definitely cooperate," he told Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.

Earlier, the chairman said he had rejected 21 notices received under Rule 267, which calls for setting aside the business of the day to take up discussion on the issue being raised. He said the notices were on five different subjects, but not in order, and so were not admitted.

He neither named the MPs who had moved the notices nor the subject contained in them.

Opposition MPs pointed out that not naming the MPs or the subject contained in the 267 notices was against the traditions of the House.

Kharge said it has been an established tradition of the Rajya Sabha to indicate the subject as well as the MP who has given the 267 notice. "Now suddenly, MPs who gave notices, their names are not read, nor is the subject read out." He went on to allege that while the previous Chair would only look at the Leader of the House, J P Nadda, while conducting the proceedings, Radhakrishnan was only looking at his table. "We want you to look at all sides." The Chairman responded that when the House is in order, he will listen to everyone.

"Bringing the House in order is your job, the government's job, not our job," Kharge replied.

Radhakrishnan said the Parliamentary Affairs Minister on Monday stated openness for a discussion and had sought time to come back on the issue.

Nadda said he has been told that a meeting with Opposition leaders will take place very soon to decide on the issue.

"Yesterday, I said, please don't put timeline conditions on anything," Rijiju said. "My only limited request is that I am going to engage with leaders of different political parties, it may be formally, informally, ultimately it will come to you (the Chair)... Once we start the process of consultation. Now the problem begins when you start questioning time; everything cannot be mechanical," he responded.

In a parliamentary democracy, there has to be dialogue and discussion, he said. "There are many issues in the country. You should not undermine one issue and take up another issue. All the issues are important." As Opposition MPs again pressed for an immediate discussion on SIR, he targeted them, saying they were venting out their anger at not being able to win elections.

"You cannot win elections, people don't trust you, and you take out your anger in the House. This is not correct," he said, adding that elections are the people's platform in a democracy. "I stated yesterday also, we are ready for discussion, but we have to first meet formally. It is not right to insist on time." Earlier, as soon as the listed official papers were laid on the table of the House, Opposition MPs started raising slogans demanding a discussion on SIR. Some of them moved into the well of the House.

Radhakrishnan said this was not correct and asked them to go back to their seats.

"You cannot take the House for granted. I am not going to allow this indiscipline," he said and called for the listed Zero Hour mentions.

The initial MPs listed for raising matters of urgent public importance happened to be from the Opposition. Called to speak, when they mentioned that a discussion on SIR should take place, the Chair ruled that they had to stick to the subject mentioned in their notices. He then quickly called the next MP.

He didn't even initially allow a point of order sought by Tiruchi Siva of DMK.

"What point of order? You want to speak on the subject or not? How can I allow a point of order when everybody is shouting? What is the point of order when there is no order? Nobody can take the House for granted," he said, asking opposition MPs to first go back to their seats.

Opposition MPs returned to their seats. Siva then raised a point of order, noting that the Chair had not indicated the reason for rejecting 267 notices.

Radhakrishnan said he had indicated the reason for rejecting the notices in his ruling.

Amid the din, the Chair called for the next Zero Hour mention. Ajit Kumar Bhuyan (IND) raised the issue of irregularities in a university in Assam, while K Laxman (BJP) raised the issue of drug abuse posing a threat to public health and national security. Baburam Nishad (BJP) spoke on the Ken-Betwa inter-river linking project.