Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 10: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday delivered a forceful defence of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, asserting that the process has been an integral part of India’s electoral system since the early years of the Republic. He accused the Congress of spreading misinformation and reminded Parliament that SIR has long served as a tool to strengthen democracy, not weaken it.
Shah argued that a clean and accurate voter list is essential for free and fair elections, asking, “If the voter list is corrupt, how can elections be fair?” He noted that the Constitution clearly lays out the Election Commission’s authority to prepare, revise, or correct electoral rolls, emphasising that these provisions predate the existence of his own party. Duplicate entries, he said, are common and must be eliminated to prevent individuals from voting more than once.
Speaking during a heated Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, the Home Minister traced the history of SIR back to 1952 under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He listed subsequent revisions undertaken in 1957 and 1961, followed by rounds in 1965 and 1966 under Lal Bahadur Shastri. Revisions continued under Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, under PV Narasimha Rao in 1992–93 and 1995, and during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure in 2002–03. Shah said the next major revision came only in 2025, under the Narendra Modi government.
He accused the Opposition of resisting the revision because it would eliminate names of illegal immigrants, who he alleged form part of its support base. “Should illegal immigrants be allowed to vote in India?” he asked.
The debate, which began on Tuesday, grew increasingly intense as Rahul Gandhi challenged Shah’s statements and demanded a discussion on Congress’s press briefings. Shah countered by accusing Gandhi of exaggerating claims, citing cases such as Bihar voter Minta Devi, who admitted she had mistakenly filled out her online form. Shah added, “When you win, the Election Commission is great; when you lose, it is incompetent. These double standards won’t work.”
Escalating his critique, Shah accused certain political families of being “hereditary vote thieves,” naming Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. When Rahul Gandhi attempted to interrupt, Shah rebuked him, saying, “Don’t interrupt.”
The fiery exchanges highlighted the widening rift between the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc, with the Special Intensive Revision becoming the newest battleground in the debate over electoral transparency and the credibility of India’s democratic institutions.