Some Families Are Hereditary Vote Thieves: Amit Shah

• Amit Shah says Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is routine and mostly done under Congress governments
• Accuses Opposition of “misinformation” and says SIR will remove illegal immigrants from voter rolls
• Heated exchanges erupt as Rahul Gandhi challenges Shah to debate Congress’ press conferences
• Shah alleges “hereditary vote thieves” and hits back at interruptions in the House

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 11th Dec: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Opposition during the Lok Sabha debate on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, asserting that the government agreed to the discussion only to demonstrate that it is “not running away from any debate or discussion.”

Shah said the revision of voter rolls was a routine exercise, widely carried out during Congress-led governments as well. “Voter list revisions happened during Manmohan Singh’s tenure as well,” he said, adding that Congress was now “spreading misinformation” about a process that has existed for decades.

Asserting that duplicate entries are a common administrative error, Shah asked, “Should a voter be able to vote in more than one place? This is a process to cleanse the election process.”

The Home Minister further alleged that the Opposition’s uproar stemmed from fears that SIR would remove illegal immigrants, whom he claimed were part of their support base. “The Opposition is worried since the people of the country do not vote for them and SIR will delete names of illegal immigrants who back them… Should illegal immigrants participate in elections in India?” he asked.

The debate grew increasingly heated, with frequent interruptions from Opposition MPs. At one point, a visibly agitated Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged Shah: “I challenge you to debate our three press conferences.”

Shah, in response, accused Gandhi of a dramatic exaggeration. “Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had dropped a nuclear bomb on November 5,” he said sarcastically, adding that the controversial voter list numbers Gandhi cited had long existed in Haryana.

He also referred to the case of Bihar voter Minta Devi, who admitted she mistakenly filled an online form. Shah used the incident to argue that clerical errors were being sensationalised for political gain.

“When you win, you wear new clothes and take the oath. When you win elections, the Election Commission is great; when you lose, EC is incompetent. Such double standards will not work,” he said.

In one of the most contentious remarks of the session, Shah claimed that “some families are hereditary vote thieves,” naming Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, triggering loud protests from Opposition benches.

When Rahul Gandhi objected, Shah shot back: “When senior leaders speak, don’t interrupt.”

The SIR exercise, currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories, has drawn sharp opposition criticism, with allegations that it may lead to disenfranchisement. The government and the Election Commission have maintained that the process is administrative and lawful.