Unleashing a barrage against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Home Minister Amit Shah has asked whether the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls was responsible for the Congress’ defeat in the civic elections in Gandhinagar and other places in Gujarat.
Speaking soon after this press conference, Shah accused Gandhi of using the SIR as an excuse to cover up his and the Congress’ failures. “The massive victory in Gujarat reflects the mood of the voters, demonstrating that the electorate of Gujarat – and indeed India – continues to stand like a rock behind Narendra Modi. “I also want to ask Rahul ji. Do you attribute this result to the SIR? Do you dismiss the popularity of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi? You need to introspect. This is a matter that demands serious introspection. Recently, by-elections were held in three states: West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. The Congress did not win a single seat even there,” he added.
Pulling no punches, Shah claimed that while the current SIR exercise began only after 2024, the Congress had been losing elections ever since Gandhi entered politics. Since the last election, the BJP has increased its vote share in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation by 10%. I want to make this clear, and I particularly want this message to reach Rahul Gandhi, that the Congress party has not won a single election here in 41 years,” he pointed out. You have failed to win a single election in 41 years in a major state where you once held power.
Rahul Gandhi hosted high tea for leaders from the Opposition INDIA bloc and student bodies on Tuesday and then held a press conference in which he insisted that the “resistance” against the alleged irregularities in the SIR and Kumar’s “unilateral” way of functioning would continue. He also said the Opposition’s protests were aimed at the “restoration of democracy” in the country.
