New Delhi, Nov 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday accepted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s challenge for a debate and said the government is ready to call a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The sharp exchange came on the last day of the BJP’s 15-day nationwide campaign against what it calls the opposition’s misinformation on the voter-roll exercise.
Shah was speaking at a rally in Karnal, Haryana, after leading the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) foot march from Sector 12 to Dayanand Chowk. Addressing a large crowd, he said Parliament, not the streets, is the right place to settle the argument over SIR.
“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, according to reports from the rally.
A challenge that travelled both ways
The dare did not come out of nowhere. On Tuesday, Gandhi had challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an open debate, responding to the Prime Minister’s allegation that the opposition was anti-national. Gandhi also asked why Modi had not filed a defamation case against him, and renewed his demand for a public debate.
Shah had first floated the special session idea on Tuesday. On Thursday, he repeated the offer in sharper words, turning it into a direct challenge to the Congress leadership.
He also accused Gandhi of disrupting parliamentary proceedings and turning boycotts into a political habit. “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,” Shah said.
Shah added that the BJP would answer the opposition on every platform. “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,” he said.
What SIR is, and why it has become the flashpoint
The Special Intensive Revision is the Election Commission’s exercise to revise electoral rolls, and it has become the sharpest point of friction between the government and the opposition in recent weeks. The Congress and its INDIA bloc allies allege that the revision is being used to delete genuine voters. The BJP says the exercise is needed to clean the rolls and remove infiltrators.
Shah made the government’s position plain in Karnal. “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, which seeks to protect infiltrators,” he said.
Protests on both sides on the same day
While the BJP wrapped up its street campaign on Thursday, the INDIA bloc held a ‘Save the Vote, Save the Nation’ protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, demanding the SIR exercise be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar attended the protest along with ministers, MPs and MLAs. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP had no chance of winning the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and questioned the process through which Kumar was appointed.
The protest demanded the SIR exercise be scrapped and the law on the Chief Election Commissioner’s appointment be repealed.
What happens next
The ball is now in the Congress’s court. If the opposition takes up the offer, the SIR debate would move from rallies and street marches into Parliament, where both sides would have to argue their case on the record.
If it does not, the war of words is likely to continue on the streets. The BJP has made it clear that it will not leave the public argument to the opposition alone, and the INDIA bloc has shown no sign of dropping its campaign. With the BJP’s 15-day campaign ending on Thursday, both sides are expected to keep pressing their case as elections draw closer.
Frequently asked questions
What did Amit Shah offer Rahul Gandhi on Thursday?
Shah accepted Gandhi’s challenge for a debate and said the government is ready to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the SIR electoral roll revision, if the Congress writes to the Prime Minister asking for it.
What is SIR?
SIR stands for Special Intensive Revision, the Election Commission’s exercise to revise electoral rolls. The opposition alleges it deletes genuine voters, while the government says it removes infiltrators and cleans the rolls.
Where did Shah make the remarks?
At a rally in Karnal, Haryana, on Thursday, November 5, after leading the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ foot march from Sector 12 to Dayanand Chowk.
What did Rahul Gandhi challenge PM Modi to?
On Tuesday, Gandhi challenged Modi to an open debate over the Prime Minister’s allegation that the opposition was anti-national, and asked why Modi had not filed a defamation case against him.
What did the INDIA bloc do on Thursday?
The bloc staged a ‘Save the Vote, Save the Nation’ protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, demanding the SIR exercise be scrapped and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Stay with Informeia for the latest updates on the SIR debate and Parliament proceedings.
