CHANDIGARH: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday accused Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of disrupting Parliament and turning boycotts into a party culture. He challenged Gandhi to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Shah also sought details of Gandhi’s foreign visits, saying, “You’re the leader of opposition (in Lok Sabha), people have the right to know.”
Shah made the remarks while addressing a rally in Karnal after leading the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ march from Sector 12 to Dayanand Chowk. He accused Gandhi of spreading anarchy and said the BJP was committed to identifying and removing infiltrators from electoral rolls, unlike the INDIA bloc, which he alleged sought to protect them.
Shah’s remarks came amid a political confrontation between the BJP and the Opposition over allegations of electoral irregularities. Rahul Gandhi had challenged Modi to a public debate.
“I want to challenge Rahul Gandhi directly. You challenge PM Narendra Modi to a discussion? If you want a discussion, just write a letter to the prime minister. We are ready to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the SIR exercise.”
Shah said Parliament was the appropriate forum for a discussion on the issue.
“If you want a responsible discussion, let’s debate inside Parliament. It is the BJP’s resolve to identify and remove infiltrators from electoral rolls, unlike the INDIA bloc that seeks to protect infiltrators,” Shah alleged.
He said the BJP was committed to cleansing voter lists, an exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India.
“Rahul ji, go ahead and beat your chest as much as you like for these infiltrators. Let me state this clearly and boldly: it is the BJP’s firm resolve we will identify these infiltrators, remove them from the electoral rolls, and then systematically track them down and remove them from the country.”
Calling Parliament the supreme forum for debate in a democracy, Shah accused Gandhi of obstructing its proceedings.
“Rahul ji, you don’t allow Parliament to run, you don’t discuss issues. You have turned creating ruckus and resorting to boycotts into a Congress culture. Do you think our 80-year-old democracy will fall for your tricks? Rahul ji, we are people of the streets, take note of what I’m saying. The BJP will give you a fitting reply – in Parliament, in Vidhan Sabha, in villages, anywhere.”
Shah also accused the Opposition of questioning the credibility of institutions after electoral defeats. He recounted an anecdote about a school kabaddi team that blamed the referee after repeatedly losing to a younger team.
“Back when we were children, we used to play kabaddi. Our seventh-grade team would consistently emerge as champions. After losing repeatedly, the ninth-grade team held a meeting. They realised that the seventh-grade team — who were younger than them — kept winning, and their egos were bruised. So, they decided that the best strategy was to simply label the referee a ‘cheater’ — that way, their own victory would be guaranteed. It seems Rahul Gandhi might have heard those students,” said Shah.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Power Minister and Karnal MP Manohar Lal, state BJP chief Archana Gupta, the party’s Haryana in-charge Smriti Irani and several state ministers joined Shah in the march. BJP workers and supporters also took part, waving the national flag.
The march came days after the INDIA bloc held a ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. Opposition leaders accused the Centre of electoral irregularities and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.