Hyderabad: Escalating the BJP’s offensive against the Congress over electoral roll revision and voter eligibility, Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday accused the party of opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to protect “infiltrators” and safeguard its vote bank.Launching a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi, Shah challenged the Congress leader to a debate in Parliament on SIR, electronic voting machines (EVMs) and illegal immigration, asserting that only genuine Indian citizens should remain on electoral rolls.Addressing a public meeting after participating in the BJP’s maha padayatra in Hyderabad, Shah said Rahul Gandhi’s recent rally in Delhi was not a “vote bachao” programme but an attempt to shield infiltrators. He alleged that the Congress was resisting the SIR exercise because it wanted the names of Bangladeshi infiltrators to remain on electoral rolls.“Rahul Gandhi and Congress can organise as many rallies as they want, but the BJP will deport every infiltrator from the country,” he said, adding that only Indian citizens were entitled to vote.Countering Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that 13 crore votes had been deleted during the SIR exercise, Shah claimed the figure included around 4.25 crore voters registered in multiple locations, three crore deceased voters, one crore duplicate entries and another three crore voters who could not be traced.Questioning the Congress’s stand, Shah asked whether such entries should continue on electoral rolls. He alleged that the party was opposing the revision exercise because it benefited from bogus votes.Shah also rejected Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the BJP’s electoral success was linked to the SIR. Pointing out that no such exercise had been conducted before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he asked how Narendra Modi had secured a majority that year if SIR was the reason behind the BJP’s victories.Turning to the Congress’s criticism of EVMs, Shah questioned why the opposition accepted election outcomes when it won but alleged manipulation when it lost. He said Congress govts had come to power in several states through the same electoral process and machines that it now questioned.Renewing his challenge, Shah said the BJP was prepared for a full debate in Parliament on SIR, EVMs and infiltrators. He alleged that Rahul Gandhi was avoiding such a discussion because he feared that PM Modi would expose the Congress’s arguments.In a personal jibe, Shah referred to Rahul Gandhi’s participation in a mock Parliament exercise and remarked that he had remained Leader of Opposition even there instead of becoming prime minister. Had he become prime minister at least in the mock Parliament, it would have brought some peace to Sonia Gandhi, he said, adding that Rahul Gandhi would never become prime minister.The Union minister also targeted the Congress over corruption, alleging that the party was involved in corruption worth ₹12 lakh crore during its decade-long rule at the Centre. In contrast, he claimed that no corruption allegations had surfaced against the Modi govt during its 12 years in office.Citing the BJP’s electoral victories across several states, including Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Assam and West Bengal, Shah questioned whether Congress would attribute all its defeats to the SIR exercise. He also pointed to the party’s prolonged absence from power in states such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura and Odisha.Highlighting the Modi govt’s record, Shah referred to the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, abolition of triple talaq, action against terrorism and the ongoing campaign against Naxalism.
