The North News
New Delhi, December 11
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the opposition parties are objecting to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls because they fear political losses rather than flaws in the process. Speaking during a Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, he argued that criticism of the revision exercise was based on “one-sided lies” and attempts to mislead the public.
Shah said Parliament remained the country’s largest platform for debate and that the government had never avoided discussion. But, he added, the SIR process falls strictly under the Election Commission, an autonomous constitutional body, and therefore cannot be debated as a government action.
He cited Articles 324 to 327 of the Constitution, which grant the Commission responsibility for preparing and revising electoral rolls and establishing voter eligibility. These provisions, he said, make the SIR a constitutional process aimed at ensuring that only eligible citizens are included. Names of deceased persons, duplicate registrations and foreign nationals are removed, while new voters turning 18 are added.
Tracing the history of electoral roll revisions, Shah said India has conducted several SIR exercises since 1952 under governments of various political parties. “No party opposed it for decades because it maintains the sanctity of elections,” he said, adding that the current revision scheduled for 2025 follows the same tradition. He argued that concerns raised by opposition parties stem from political calculations. “If electoral rolls decide outcomes, then why do they accept results when they win?” he asked, accusing them of applying double standards depending on whether they win or lose elections.
Shah also defended the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), saying opposition allegations had been repeatedly disproven. He pointed to Supreme Court judgments upholding their use, successful pilot projects, and verification using VVPAT receipts. He said that in more than 16,000 cross-checks, not a single mismatch had been found.
He criticised opposition parties for refusing to participate in verification exercises and for raising allegations through the media rather than through official channels. “Ballot box hijacking ended with the arrival of EVMs,” he claimed. “That is why some are uncomfortable.”
The Home Minister also accused the opposition of being unwilling to accept scrutiny. “If a journalist asks a question, he is labelled an agent. If a case is lost, the judge is blamed. When elections are lost, EVMs are targeted,” he said.
Amit Shah maintained that the issue at the centre of the dispute was “illegal infiltrators” remaining on voter lists. He insisted the government would continue its policy to “detect, delete and deport”, and would not allow even one ineligible person to vote. Opposition parties, he alleged, “seek to normalise and then formalise infiltrators” by including them in electoral rolls, posing demographic risks.
He further defended the neutrality of the Election Commission, noting that the Modi government had included opposition leaders in the process of appointing Election Commissioners. He rejected claims of expanded protections for Commissioners, saying the legal framework remained unchanged.
Shah also linked the opposition’s criticism to its stance on policy issues such as surgical strikes, the revocation of Article 370 and the Citizenship Amendment Act. He said the ruling coalition continued to win elections because voters rejected what he described as the opposition’s negative approach.
