Shah dares Rahul to debate; links UCC to 2027 UP polls

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday offered to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss Opposition allegations of vote theft, while asserting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would refuse the debate and prefers street agitation. Speaking at the BJP’s State working committee meeting in Lucknow, he simultaneously declared that the Samajwadi Party would remain out of power in Uttar Pradesh for the next 30 years and that the BJP would implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state after the 2027 Assembly polls.

“I am ready to call a special session of Parliament to discuss vote chori. But Rahul will never agree. He will never discuss the issue in Parliament but will create a nuisance on the street,” Shah told party workers at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University auditorium. He also countered charges by Gandhi and other Opposition leaders that recent elections were marred by systematic manipulation involving the Election Commission of India and the ruling party.

On UP, Shah issued a very long-term political prediction. “Akhilesh, just mark my words, your party will not come to power in UP for the next 30 years. The people will not forgive even your third generation,” he told the leader of the Samajwadi Party.

The comments come as Opposition allegations of electoral malpractice continue to mount after the most recent polls.

Shah tied the prediction to a specific policy pledge. “This time when the Government comes to power, UCC will be implemented in UP. UCC has already been implemented in many States,” he said. The statement effectively makes the UCC a cornerstone of the BJP’s 2027 campaign in UP.

BJP State President and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary chaired the day-long meeting with UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Deputy CMS Keshav Prasad Maurya, Brajesh Pathak, State in-charge Vinod Tawde, and National General Secretary Smriti Irani. The meeting was an organisational review and a chance to set the narrative ahead of the next Assembly elections.