On Shah’s assertion that the BJP had flagged discrepancies in the voter lists of Wayanad and Amethi, the Congress accused the BJP of making “fake additions” to defeat Rahul Gandhi, adding that these discrepancies also need to be addressed.
Shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivered a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha during a debate on electoral reforms, the Opposition Congress on Wednesday hit back with a point-by-point rebuttal of his claims. In a post on X, the Congress listed the “8 lies of Amit Shah”, asserting that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had exposed each one of them.
The Congress said that Amit Shah told the House that the government had only acted in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions on the appointment of Election Commissioners. However, the party countered that “Modi and Shah made a law that removed the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee.”
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Responding to Shah’s claim that the Election Commissioner has always enjoyed immunity under the Representation of the People Act, the Congress said that the Act “never gave immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners in their personal capacity, and earlier officers could be prosecuted if they violated official duties related to the protection of electoral rolls.”
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According to the Congress, Shah also suggested that EVMs are safe because they were introduced during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. Countering this, the party said: “Vote chori is happening now, and when there are serious allegations, the Election Commission should be open to an audit of the EVM architecture.”
On Shah’s assertion that the BJP had flagged discrepancies in the voter lists of Wayanad and Amethi, the Congress accused the BJP of making “fake additions” to defeat Rahul Gandhi, adding that these discrepancies also need to be addressed.
The Congress further termed Shah’s claim that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is conducted to identify ‘infiltrators’ a “lie”, saying that the Election Commission has repeatedly denied this narrative. “And how many ghuspatia were found? Less than 400, most of whom were not from Bangladesh but from Nepal. Where are your ghuspetiya?” the party asked.
The Congress alleged that Shah “lied” when he said the party raises the issue of “vote chori” only when it loses elections. “It is not about winning or losing; it is about defending democracy and protecting the Constitution,” the party said.
Responding to Shah’s charge that the Opposition was damaging India’s image and weakening democracy by questioning the Election Commission, the Congress said: “Questioning institutions that are compromised can never be against democracy. The BJP’s attack on institutions and the electoral process, and the ECI’s failure to be transparent and protect the people’s interest, is what is damaging India’s image.”
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Referring to the cash transfer scheme of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar, the Congress said, “The Election Commission allowed the NDA to deposit ₹10,000 into over 1 crore accounts just three days before voting.
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