Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, November 2, accused the Congress and other INDIA bloc parties of being determined to stop the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He said the opposition rally led by Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday, November 1, was meant not to “save the vote” but to protect infiltrators from Bangladesh.
Shah made the remarks at a gathering in Hyderabad at the end of the city leg of the BJP’s nationwide padayatra, “Lok Tantra Bachao Arajakta Hatao” (Save Democracy, Eradicate Anarchy). The campaign was launched to counter the INDIA bloc’s allegations against the BJP, including that it conspired to vitiate the Election Commission’s SIR process, which the opposition has dubbed “vote chori” (vote theft).
Shah began his visit with prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi temple near Charminar. He then led a march from the Babu Jagjivan Ram statue to Mohamzahi Market Crossroads, where he addressed the gathering.
He rejected as lies the claim by the Congress and Gandhi that 13 crore votes had been deleted. Shah said 6.15 crore of them had shifted to other places, nearly 3 crore were dead and 1 crore were duplicate entries.
He claimed the remaining 3 crore were Bangladeshi infiltrators who do not exist as voters, and said all of them would be removed from the rolls so that only Indian citizens remain. He said Gandhi and the INDIA bloc were upset because infiltrators had been used as vote banks.
Shah called the “vote chori” narrative baseless. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the 2014 general election and three more after that, and asked whether SIR had been carried out then. He said Modi won with the people’s support.
He said Gandhi would never become prime minister because he cannot match Modi’s pace, adding that Gandhi could do so only in a “mock parliament”. Shah said the Congress had gradually lost power in several states and was “on a ventilator”.
Shah challenged Gandhi over parliamentary proceedings, saying the BJP was ready to convene a special session of Parliament for a full debate on EVMs, SIR and infiltrators. He accused Gandhi of carrying the Constitution without respecting it and of not allowing Parliament to function.
He also asked how the Congress had formed governments in states including Telangana if EVMs were flawed. He said Congress and non-BJP governments had also formed in Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.
Shah claimed the Congress relies on disorder because Modi’s government would dismantle its arguments in a functioning Parliament.
He said 10 years of Congress rule were marred by corruption of about Rs 12 lakh crore, and that there is not a single corruption stain on the Modi government. He said Congress-ruled states face corruption charges and have failed to deliver on their promises.
Shah listed what he called the Modi government’s achievements: the abrogation of Article 370, the Ram Mandir, the Triple Talaq ban, surgical strikes and “Operation Sindoor”. He also highlighted welfare schemes. He vowed to make India drug-free before December 31, 2029.