Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp counterattack against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, dismissing opposition allegations against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Addressing a press conference following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victories in local body elections in Gujarat and recent state bypolls, Shah urged Rahul Gandhi to introspect on his party’s organizational performance rather than blaming electoral mechanisms.
’SIR Started After 2024, Defeats Span Decades’
Dismissing the opposition’s narrative that the SIR exercise has systematically undermined electoral fairness, Shah pointed to the Congress party’s multi-decade loss record in several key states:
”The SIR only came into effect after 2024. Ever since you emerged as the principal leader of the Congress—and subsequently as its President and the Leader of the Opposition—the party has consistently lost elections. For 33 years, no Congress Chief Minister has won in Tripura. In Bengal, the Congress party has not achieved a victory for 54 years. In states like Bengal, Tripura, and Gujarat, the Congress party has faced defeat for three, four, or even five decades. I want to ask Shri Rahul Gandhi directly: is this the result of the SIR?”
Shah highlighted recent electoral outcomes to back his arguments, citing significant margins achieved by the BJP and NDA candidates in Gujarat local body polls—where the party secured 38 of 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation—as well as bypolls across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
Opposition Vows Continued Resistance
Shah’s remarks followed a joint press conference held by Rahul Gandhi alongside other INDIA bloc leaders and student activist leaders, including All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora.
Reiterating the opposition’s demand for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral roll discrepancies, Gandhi asserted that public and political demonstrations would persist:
”No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue and it will triumph.”
With both sides taking firm stands, the political tussle over electoral transparency and the SIR framework continues to intensify across the national capital.
