New Delhi: On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha renewed his sharp criticism of Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that the latter appeared “nervous”, with “hands trembling”, during his parliamentary address the previous day.
Gandhi told reporters that Shah had also used “foul language” while speaking in the context of the ongoing debate on electoral reforms — a debate already charged with accusations and counter-accusations over alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) and the integrity of electoral rolls.
He further claimed that despite his multiple press conferences outlining alleged electoral malpractices, Shah “gave no replies and offered no proof” during the session. Gandhi said he had openly challenged the Home Minister to debate those press conferences — but “nothing happened.”
अमित शाह जी कल संसद में बड़े नर्वस थे।
उनके हाथ कांप रहे थे, उन्होंने गलत लैंग्वेज का इस्तेमाल किया। अमित शाह जी मेंटली बहुत प्रेशर में हैं- जो कल पूरे देश ने देखा।
○ मैंने ‘वोट चोरी’ से जुड़ी जो बातें कहीं- उसका गृह मंत्री ने कोई जवाब नहीं दिया
○ मैंने अमित शाह जी को मेरी… pic.twitter.com/qt31aHfMEH
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 11, 2025
The confrontation traces back to Wednesday’s session in the Lok Sabha, where Shah, addressing proposed electoral reforms and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, clashed with Gandhi. When Gandhi interrupted Shah’s address and urged a debate on the allegations, Shah sharply retorted that Parliament would not operate according to Gandhi’s “wishes,” asserting that he — Shah — alone would decide the order of his speech.
What happened at the 88-minute meeting between Modi, Shah and Gandhi?
On Wednesday, an 88-minute long meeting was held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi and Shah. While it was known that the leaders would meet to discuss the candidates for the Chief Information Commissioner, the meeting was expected to be anything but long.
Under the rules, the Prime Minister, one Union minister nominated by the Prime Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition are expected to take a call on the crucial top rungs of the Information Commission, Election Commission and the Vigilance department.
This time, the senior minister who attended was Amit Shah. According to reports, Gandhi had reached the Prime Minister’s Office at 1 pm and the meeting started at 1.07 pm.
The discussion was not just about the appointment of a Chief Information Commissioner, but also eight Information Commissioners, and a Vigilance Commissioner, India Today reported citing sources.
The report also claimed that Gandhi had expressed his objection to all the appointments, and submitted his objection in writing. Gandhi had argued that communities constituting almost 90 per cent of India’s population were “practically missing” from the proposed list for positions that oversee transparency and accountability, reported India Today, citing sources.
According to Congress sources—as cited by India Today, Rahul Gandhi used the meeting to raise strong objections over what he called the “near-total absence” of candidates from Dalit, Adivasi, OBC/EBC and minority communities in the shortlist placed before the committee.