Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday hit out at Rahul Gandhi, who has been spearheading protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleging irregularities with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Shah sang praises of the BJP's poll wins in different states and claimed that the Congress has been losing for decades but blames the SIR, which only began after 2024.
“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,” Shah said in a press conference. Follow live updates on Delhi protests here.
His remarks came following the BJP's victory in Gujarat's civic body polls. The party won 38 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) and secured majorities in the Thara and Okha municipalities.
Amit Shah urges Rahul Gandhi to introspect
Deep Dive
What did Amit Shah say about the link between SIR and Congress's election losses?
Why are Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc MPs protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
What did the Opposition ask the Supreme Court to do about SIR?
The union home minister listed Congress' poll losses over the years, saying the party has failed to win elections in states like West Bengal, Tripura, and Gujarat for “decades”, and also called for Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to introspect.
“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? The SIR only came into effect after 2024,” Shah said.
{{/usCountry}}“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? The SIR only came into effect after 2024,” Shah said.
{{/usCountry}}Further mounting his attack on the Congress MP, Amit Shah said that the party has lost elections ever since Gandhi became its principal leader and subsequently the LoP.
He also said that the BJP saw a big victory in bypolls to three states - West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.
“In Naogaon, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate won by a margin of 1,42,000 votes; the BJP wrested this seat from the Congress party. In Nandigram, the BJP candidate won with 76% of the vote, securing a massive lead of 1,22,000 votes. In Rejinagar, West Bengal, the BJP won by over 75,000 votes—snatching the seat from the Trinamool—while in Puducherry, the NDA candidate from ally AINRC won by 8,482 votes; the Congress secured only 22% of the votes,” Shah said.
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Rahul Gandhi vows to continue anti-CEC stir
Amit Shah's remarks came shortly after Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs held a joint presser against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the BJP, vowing to continue their fight for "restoration of the democratic process" in the country.
"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," said Gandhi, who has been seeking Kumar's resignation as CEC over alleged SIR irregularities.
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AISA chief Neha Bora was also part of the presser. She claimed that the BJP “can compromise on democracy and the Constitution” because they never had a role in making India's democracy.