Lucknow/New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday threw down the gauntlet to Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, asking them to debate the electoral-roll controversy on the floor of Parliament rather than protest outside it. His challenge came just before the Congress was to stage a “public impeachment” against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
“‘I challenge you both right here and now: the Bharatiya Janata Party is fully prepared to discuss this in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Let us convene a special session of Parliament,” Shah told the Uttar Pradesh BJP state executive committee meeting in Lucknow.
He accused opposition parties of avoiding a formal discussion. “But they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus,” he said.
Congress Postpones Protest Event
The Congress had initially planned a “mock parliament”, but later renamed it a “public impeachment”. It filed notices for an actual impeachment, but these were rejected. The party also lacks the numbers to carry it out. Due to rain in Delhi, Friday’s “public impeachment” was postponed to Saturday, ahead of the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Ground against the Chief Election Commissioner and the SIR. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to move the “impeachment motion”, as reported by NDTV.
Shah also took a personal swipe at Rahul Gandhi. “[Rahul Gandhi] will never discuss the issue in Parliament but will create a nuisance on the street,” he said.
Referring to the BJP’s victories in Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal, Shah said, “After the events in Bengal, they have realised that they simply cannot win elections.” He added, “Instead of accepting defeat, they began accusing the umpire of cheating, claiming that votes were stolen.”
Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the Election Commission is weakening democracy and that the government is preventing protesters from reaching Delhi. Since early October, the INDIA bloc has demanded the CEC’s resignation, a halt to the SIR, and restoration of the earlier voter lists. The revision has removed roughly 13 crore names, or about 14 per cent of the pre-SIR rolls.
The controversy has repeatedly disrupted Parliament. The 2025 Monsoon session saw repeated adjournments over the SIR in Bihar, while in the winter session the government agreed only to discuss electoral reforms, citing the Election Commission’s constitutional independence.
During a December 10, 2025 debate, Rahul Gandhi asked Shah to respond to his three “vote chori” press conferences. Shah said he would decide the order of his own speech, prompting Opposition MPs to walk out. In April, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan rejected notices seeking the CEC’s removal.
Shah spoke a day after the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections, where the BJP won six seats and the SP five. Akhilesh Yadav described the outcome as a “double defeat” for the BJP and said it had strengthened the SP’s prospects for the 2027 Assembly polls.
