Amit Shah dares opposition leaders to debate voter roll scandal in Parliament
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Amit Shah pressed for a special parliamentary session on the disputed electoral rolls, while the opposition pushed ahead with plans to publicly censure Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday dared Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to face a parliamentary debate over the escalating controversy surrounding electoral rolls in a special session of Parliament. Speaking at a BJP state executive committee meeting in Lucknow, Shah declared, "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 claimed the opposition "refuse[s] to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus" and accused Rahul Gandhi of "never" wanting to discuss the matter in Parliament, preferring instead to "create a nuisance on the street." He also touted the BJP’s recent electoral wins in several states, while warning that the opposition, after recent losses in West Bengal, were alleging cheating in the election process.
The Congress party had planned a "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, but postponed it because of rain and rescheduled it for Saturday, a day before an INDIA bloc rally. The opposition says the SIR removed about 13 crore names, or roughly 14 percent of the pre-SIR rolls, and has demanded the CEC’s resignation.
Parliament’s recent sessions have been repeatedly stalled by adjournments over the SIR, and earlier attempts by opposition MPs to introduce a motion for the CEC’s removal were turned down by parliamentary officials. Shah’s challenge comes after the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections, where the BJP held on to six of the eleven contested seats, while the Samajwadi Party won five.