States » NorthPosted at: Nov 5 2026 2:50PM


Amit Shah challenges Rahul Gandhi to public debate on SIR, accuses Congress of protecting infiltrators

Karnal, Nov 5 (UNI) union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday challenged Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to a public debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, either in Parliament or at any public place in Haryana, accusing the Congress of shielding illegal infiltrators, undermining democratic institutions and creating political unrest after electoral defeats.
Addressing the BJP's 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) rally in Karnal, Shah said the government was ready to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the SIR exercise and allegations of irregularities raised by the opposition.
"Let Rahul Gandhi write a letter to the Prime Minister seeking a special session of Parliament. We are ready to convene it and discuss these issues. The Congress should stop spreading falsehoods," he said.
Taking a direct swipe at Gandhi, Shah said if the Congress leader preferred street debates over parliamentary discussions, he could choose any public square in Haryana.
"If Rahul Gandhi is so fond of debating on the streets, let him select any crossroads in Haryana. Our Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president will come there and debate with him," Shah said.
He accused Gandhi of repeatedly disrupting parliamentary proceedings and attempting to mobilise people through protests rather than raising substantive issues inside the legislature.
"Rahul Gandhi does not allow Parliament to function. He does not discuss issues. Creating disruptions in Parliament has become the Congress's culture. Now he wants to gather crowds on the streets and spread anarchy," he alleged.
Escalating his attack over the electoral roll revision, Shah accused the Congress of disguising an attempt to protect illegal immigrants as a campaign to safeguard voters' rights.
"This is not a movement to save voters. It is a campaign to protect infiltrators. Every BJP worker must go from house to house and explain this to the people," he said.
Shah claimed that approximately 6.25 crore electoral entries had been deleted because voters had died or shifted residence. He further alleged that around three crore entries concerned people who could not establish their eligibility during verification.
He claimed that the latter group included illegal infiltrators and said the government would identify and take action against foreign nationals living illegally in the country.
However, the claim that untraceable or absent voters are illegal immigrants has not been independently established.
The Home Minister also cited alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls, including cases in which children were recorded as older than their parents and unusually large numbers of voters were registered at single addresses.
"Can a couple married for 10 years have 12 children? Can a son be older than his father? Can 132 voters be registered in a house measuring 600 square yards?" Shah asked.
He questioned why Congress representatives had not raised these issues during the revision process.
Turning to the Congress's electoral promises, Shah targeted the party's government in Himachal Pradesh, accusing it of failing to deliver on its guarantees.
"During the election campaign, Rahul Gandhi kept saying 'khatakhat, khatakhat, fataphat', promising quick delivery of benefits. They gave 10 guarantees in Himachal Pradesh, but not even one has been fulfilled," Shah alleged.
He contrasted this with the BJP government's performance in Haryana, claiming that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had fulfilled the commitments made to voters.
"I want to thank our Chief Minister for fulfilling the guarantees made to the people of Haryana," Shah said.
The Home Minister also took a swipe at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over farmers' demand for minimum support price (MSP).
"Punjab's farmers are fighting for MSP. I have come here to tell Bhagwant Mann that if he wants to learn how to run a government, he should learn from Haryana," Shah said.
"Our Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has ensured MSP for 24 crops. Farmers here do not have to struggle for it," he claimed.
Haryana had issued a notification in December 2024 extending its MSP procurement policy from 14 to 24 crops.
Shah then highlighted the Modi government's welfare programmes, citing poverty reduction, free foodgrain distribution, healthcare coverage, tap water connections, housing assistance and financial support for farmers.
Referring to World Bank estimates, Shah said nearly 50 crore people had moved above the poverty line during a 12-year period.
"Fifty crore people have come out of poverty under Narendra Modi's leadership. Rahul Gandhi should examine these achievements instead of making allegations," he said.
The World Bank's April 2026 India Development update estimated that about 496 million people had moved above the lower-middle-income poverty threshold between 2011–12 and 2023–24, a period that includes years before Modi took office.
Shah said the central government had provided free foodgrains to 81 crore people and healthcare protection of up to Rs 5 lakh to approximately 49 crore beneficiaries.
He claimed that tap water connections had been extended to 16 crore households, while around 13 crore farmers had benefited from the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
The Home Minister further cited the construction of 12 crore toilets, the provision of LPG connections to approximately 10.5 crore households under the Ujjwala scheme, and housing assistance benefiting around 3.5 crore families.
"Rahul Gandhi should examine these achievements. If he wants to evaluate the government's performance, he should look at what has been delivered to the poor," Shah said.
The Home Minister also attacked the Congress's historical record, referring to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's "Garibi Hatao" slogan and corruption allegations associated with previous Congress governments.
"Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of removing poverty, but poverty was not removed. Rajiv Gandhi spoke about removing corruption, but the country witnessed scandals such as Bofors," Shah said.
He further alleged that corruption scandals involving Rs 12 lakh crore had occurred during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's tenure, a political claim he did not substantiate in the speech.
Shah then questioned Gandhi's leadership record, claiming that the Congress's strength in state assemblies had steadily declined since he assumed senior organisational responsibilities.
"When Rahul Gandhi became Congress general secretary in 2007, the party had 1,200 MLAs. When he became vice-president, the number declined to 900. When he became president, it fell to 700. By the time he launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022, it had dropped to 600," Shah claimed.
These historical figures were cited by the Home Minister as part of his political criticism and have not been independently verified.
"Ever since Rahul Gandhi entered the Congress leadership, the number of Congress legislators has been falling. Since Narendra Modi came to power, the number of BJP MPs and MLAs has been increasing," Shah said.
He accused Gandhi of blaming electronic voting machines and the Election Commission whenever the Congress lost elections.
"When you win, the EVMs are fine, the electoral rolls are correct and the Election Commission is functioning properly. But when you lose, you blame the machines and the voter lists," Shah said.
Referring to Congress-led governments in Kerala, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh, Shah questioned why the party accepted election results in states where it emerged victorious but challenged the electoral process elsewhere.
He said the Congress had accepted power in Kerala following the 2026 Assembly elections and had similarly formed governments in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh.
"If the voting machines were faulty, if the electoral rolls were wrong and if the election process was defective, why did you accept power in those states?" he asked.
Quoting a popular Hindi proverb, Shah said Gandhi was blaming the circumstances rather than acknowledging the Congress's political setbacks.
"Rahul Gandhi must accept that the people of this country are not accepting his leadership," he said.
The Home Minister also questioned Gandhi's foreign travel, specifically referring to a visit to Vietnam, and demanded greater transparency from the Leader of Opposition.
"Rahul Gandhi talks about transparency. Let him tell the people how many days he spent in Vietnam, whom he met, why he went there and what programme he attended," Shah said.
He argued that individuals holding constitutional positions were accountable to the public for their conduct.
"You are the Leader of Opposition. People have a right to know. In public life, one must live transparently and remain answerable to the people," Shah said.
Referring to his own public engagements, he said political leaders had limited personal time because members of the public frequently approached them with grievances and requests.
Shah also mocked former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda over the Congress's defeat in the 2024 state Assembly elections.
"Hooda was ready with new clothes and jalebis, expecting to form the government. But as the counting progressed, the Congress was defeated," he said.
The Home Minister compared Gandhi's criticism of the Election Commission to a losing sports team accusing the referee of cheating rather than examining its performance.
He also questioned the opposition INDIA bloc's decision to organise its November 1 rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh killings.
Shah alleged that the opposition had exaggerated claims about the expected turnout and said the Congress was attempting to use public protests to divert attention from its electoral setbacks.
Concluding his address, the Home Minister asked BJP workers to take the party's position on electoral roll revision to every village and household.
"The people of this country must decide whether discussions on legislation, national problems and public welfare schemes should take place on the streets or in Parliament," Shah said.
He repeated his challenge to Gandhi to participate in a public debate in Haryana if he was unwilling to discuss the issues through parliamentary proceedings.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and senior BJP leaders attended the Karnal programme.
The rally formed part of the BJP's "Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao" campaign, launched to counter the opposition's allegations of "vote theft" and criticism of the Election Commission.
The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties have raised concerns that electoral roll revision could lead to the exclusion of eligible voters, while the BJP has defended the exercise as necessary for maintaining accurate electoral records.UNI KK AAB
Tags: #Amit Shah challenges Rahul Gandhi to public debate on SIR# accuses Congress of protecting infiltrators
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