Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the opposition, insisting that its recent electoral losses had nothing to do with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Speaking on the second day of the Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, Shah accused the Congress of questioning the integrity of the election process only after suffering defeat.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s description of the SIR as a “hydrogen bomb,” Shah said the opposition conveniently blames the election machinery when results go against it. “But they never blame it when they win… then you immediately take oath,” he said in Hindi, drawing sharp reactions from the opposition benches.
Shah Cites Three Alleged Cases of ‘Vote Chori’ by Congress
Turning the tables on the Congress, Shah went on to list what he described as three historic instances of “vote chori” (vote theft) by the party. He first referred to the selection of India’s first Prime Minister after Independence.
“At that time, as many provinces as there were, there was one vote each from their Congress presidents. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ji received 28 votes, while Jawaharlal Nehru ji received two. Despite that, Jawaharlal Nehru ji became the Prime Minister,” Shah told the House.
The Home Minister then cited the 1971 Rae Bareli election involving former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He said the Allahabad High Court later ruled that her election had not been conducted in a proper manner and declared it null and void.
“This was vote theft. To cover up that vote theft, a law was brought in Parliament stating that no case can be filed against the Prime Minister,” Shah alleged.
Sonia Gandhi Voter Row Also Raised
Shah said the third alleged instance of vote theft related to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He told the House that a legal dispute was currently before a Delhi court over her inclusion in the voter list despite not being qualified at the time.
“A dispute has now reached the court in Delhi that Sonia Gandhi ji was made a voter here even before becoming a citizen of this country,” Shah said.
His remarks further sharpened the ongoing confrontation between the government and the opposition over electoral reforms and voter list revisions, as the Winter Session continues to witness repeated flashpoints on the floor of Parliament.