Karnal: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying the government is ready to debate the special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls at “any chowk in Haryana.”
Addressing BJP workers in Karnal on the final day of the BJP’s ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ padyatra (march), Shah accused the Congress leader of avoiding parliamentary debate.
“Rahul holds a copy of the Constitution in his hand but respects neither the document nor the position he holds,” Shah said. “You don’t allow debate on EVMs, SIR, or infiltrators. Instead of debating in Parliament, you gather on the streets to spread anarchy. I challenge you from Karnal: come to any chowk in Haryana where even our Yuva Morcha president will debate SIR with you. We are also ready to convene a special session of Parliament, but you will run away,” he said.
In his 25-minute address, Shah targeted both central and state Congress leadership, taking a swipe at former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda over the recent assembly election results. “Hooda sahab was ready with new suits and jalebis,” Shah said. “By the fifth round of counting, the Congress was out, and the BJP formed the government under Saini. Following Haryana, we won in Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, Assam, West Bengal, and Puducherry. Rahul must understand that the Congress lost because of its own shortcomings, not SIR.”
Rejecting Congress’s claim that 13 crore voters were illegally removed during the revision process, Shah provided a breakdown of the deletions. “Out of the 13 crore voters, 2.8 crore had died, 6.25 crore had relocated to other states, and 1 crore held duplicate registrations across three locations. That accounts for 10 crore. The remaining 3 crore are the infiltrators added to the lists under Congress rule. The BJP will identify them, remove them from the electoral rolls, and deport them,” the home minister said.
“Do you believe an 80-year-old democracy will fall for deceptions? The BJP will give a fitting response in Parliament, state assemblies, villages, and fields. If you gather crowds on the streets, BJP workers will be there to give a befitting reply,” he added.
Shah praised chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s administration and drew a contrast with neighbouring Punjab, where assembly elections are scheduled early next year. “Punjab farmers are protesting for minimum support price (MSP). Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann should learn from Saini, who has secured MSP on 24 crops and delivered on key welfare promises,” he said.
Speaking at the rally, Saini accused the Congress of spreading falsehoods regarding the Election Commission’s electoral roll revision. “The greatest strength of a democracy lies in the vote of an ordinary citizen. The Election Commission is conducting a periodic revision of electoral rolls, but the Congress has concocted a web of lies to spread propaganda,” he said.
Besides Saini, Shah was joined by Union power minister and Karnal MP Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana BJP affairs in-charge Smriti Irani and state party chief Dr Archana Gupta in the march that began from Karnal’s Sector 12 and culminated at Dayanand Chowk, where they addressed the rally. BJP workers and supporters joined the march in large numbers, waving the Tricolour.