Amit Shah Defends Special Intensive Revision of Voter Lists Amid Opposition Criticism in Parliament

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated today that while he believes the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists by the Election Commission should not be discussed in parliament, the government is accommodating the Opposition's request for discussion to demonstrate they are "not running away from any debate or discussion." He emphasized that voter list revision is a standard procedure, with most such exercises conducted during Congress administrations. However, he claimed that Congress is now disseminating misinformation about this process.

During the Lok Sabha discussion on Special Intensive Review of voter lists, Shah pointed out that voter list revisions "happened during Manmohan Singh's tenure as well."

He explained that having one's name registered in multiple locations is a common error, saying, "Should a voter be able to vote in more than one place? This is a process to cleanse the election process."

Shah suggested, "The Opposition is worried since the people of the country do not vote for them and SIR will delete names of illegal immigrants who back them... Should illegal immigrants participate in elections in India?"

The SIR discussion began in the Lok Sabha yesterday and continued today. The Election Commission's current implementation of this exercise across 12 states and Union Territories has faced significant criticism from Opposition parties.

Shah's address was frequently interrupted by Opposition representatives, resulting in heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.

During one such exchange, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, visibly agitated by Shah's assertions, challenged, "I challenge you to debate our three press conferences."

Shah had remarked: "Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had dropped a nuclear bomb on November 5. But the (controversial) voter lists numbers had already been existing in Haryana... Bihar voter Minta Devi herself revealed that she made a mistake in filling out the online form... When you win, you wear new clothes and take the oath, When you win elections, the Election Commisison is great; when you lose, EC is incompetent, such double standards will not work."

He further alleged, "Some families are hereditary vote thieves," specifically mentioning Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

When Gandhi challenged these statements, Shah responded, "When senior leaders speak, don't interrupt."