New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded Home Minister Amit Shah for his “outstanding” speech in Parliament, where Shah addressed Opposition concerns over India’s electoral process and countered Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s “vote theft” allegations.
In a post on X, PM Modi described Shah’s address as a presentation of “concrete facts,” highlighting the robustness of India’s democratic system and exposing what he termed as misinformation spread by the Opposition.
During the heated Lok Sabha debate on election reforms, Amit Shah firmly rebutted each of Rahul Gandhi’s claims, citing examples of alleged irregularities by the Congress itself. He referred to instances such as multiple voters listed under the same address in Haryana, clarifying that these were legitimate households spread across large ancestral plots. He also cited cases where Congress leaders reportedly coerced voters into giving false statements.
Shah drew historical parallels, recalling that electoral anomalies were addressed even during Congress governments, including the controversial mandate decision in Nehru’s era and the 1975 Allahabad High Court ruling that voided Indira Gandhi’s Rae Bareli victory. He also defended the current SIR (Special Summary Revision) exercise, describing it as a continuation of efforts to clean and update electoral rolls, a practice with roots in Nehru-era reforms.
Despite repeated Opposition interruptions, Shah maintained control of his speech, emphasizing parliamentary decorum and asserting the necessity of transparency in elections.
The Prime Minister’s praise underscores the government’s support for Shah’s stance, presenting the exchange as part of a broader narrative on safeguarding democratic processes and ensuring voter confidence in India’s elections.
