Delhi: In a heated Lok Sabha session on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a blistering attack on the Opposition—particularly Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi—accusing them of running a sustained campaign of misinformation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway across several states.
Shah said that for nearly four months, “one-sided lies” have been deliberately circulated to mislead citizens and create distrust in the Election Commission. He asserted that Rahul Gandhi has been “framing a false ‘vote chori’ story” to fuel political narratives ahead of key elections.
Targeting Gandhi directly, Shah referred to the Congress leader’s November 5 press conference, calling it a “nuclear bomb of misinformation.” Gandhi had alleged that “501 votes were cast from a single house in Haryana” during the recent assembly polls. Shah said this was a fabricated claim manufactured for political gain.
“The Election Commission clarified that House Number 265 is a one-acre ancestral property where multiple families reside. But a lie was manufactured only to build a narrative of ‘vote chori’,” Shah said, accusing Gandhi of intentionally misleading the public.
The Home Minister also drew historical parallels, listing past episodes that he described as “real vote chori.” He recalled that despite the majority backing Sardar Patel for prime ministership after Independence, Jawaharlal Nehru assumed the position—calling it the “first vote chori.” He added that Indira Gandhi granting herself immunity after her election was set aside by court was the “second,” and that the “third vote chori” remains disputed in civil court over Sonia Gandhi allegedly becoming a voter before receiving Indian citizenship.
Shah argued that while the Opposition questions electoral rolls when the BJP wins, they praise the Election Commission when they win. “When BJP loses in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, electoral rolls are fine. But when we win, suddenly everything is wrong. This double standard will not work,” he said.
Reasserting the autonomy of the Election Commission, Shah stressed that the EC operates strictly under constitutional mandates, not government directions. He reminded MPs that the purpose of SIR is to ensure “accurate, pure, and updated electoral rolls,” not political advantage.
“The discussion today was meant for election reforms, but the Opposition turned it into a campaign against SIR. For months they have misled the people,” Shah
