Amit Shah Targets Rahul Gandhi, Revanth Over SIR Row

Amit Shah challenges Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a political attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy during the BJP’s Maha Padayatra in Hyderabad on Monday, November 2, challenging their allegations over voter-list revisions and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Addressing a public meeting, Shah questioned the Congress party’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He asked whether deceased voters, duplicate registrations and ineligible names should be removed from voter lists.

Shah accused Congress of protecting infiltrators under the guise of defending voting rights. He claimed that crores of invalid entries existed in electoral rolls, although these figures have not been independently established.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi, Shah questioned allegations that the BJP benefited from SIR. He pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, arguing that those victories came before the current revision exercise.

Shah also challenged Congress over EVM allegations, questioning how the party could form governments in states such as Telangana if the voting machines were being manipulated.

Taking a dig at the opposition’s mock Parliament, Shah mocked Rahul Gandhi’s prime ministerial ambitions. He also expressed his willingness to debate Congress over SIR and electoral issues.

Turning to Telangana politics, Shah accused the Revanth Reddy government of corruption and alleged that the state was being used to raise funds for Congress. He urged BJP workers to work towards replacing the Congress government in Telangana.

The Home Minister argued that only the BJP could provide an alternative to Congress and BRS in the state. He also called for stronger measures against drug trafficking and reiterated the Centre’s commitment to a drug-free India.

The Hyderabad padayatra, held under the slogan “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy”, came a day after the INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi against alleged vote theft and electoral roll manipulation.

Congress has maintained that the SIR exercise risks removing genuine voters, particularly from disadvantaged communities. Revanth Reddy has accused the BJP of attempting to use the revision process for political advantage.

The competing allegations have intensified the political confrontation between the BJP and Congress, with electoral roll revisions becoming a central issue in their campaigns.