New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday challenged Union Home Minister Amit Shah‘s offer to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar resign and the exercise be suspended first.
The party said Shah should demonstrate his seriousness about holding a parliamentary debate by taking these steps. Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh also asked the government to share its proposed delimitation Bills with the Opposition in advance and convene an all-party meeting to discuss the proposals.
The response came a day after Shah challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to debate SIR and alleged electoral irregularities in Parliament. Shah said the government was prepared to call a special session to discuss the issue, turning the controversy over voter-list revision into a fresh political confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.
Congress demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation
In a post on X, Ramesh said that if Shah was genuinely interested in a special parliamentary session on what the Congress calls “vote chori”, he should first secure the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Ramesh referred to Kumar as Shah’s “hatchet man” and demanded that the SIR exercise be suspended.
“Meanwhile, the self-styled Chanakya, the master of bluff, bombast and bluster says he is ready for a Special Session to discuss vote chori. Last year, when the combined Opposition wanted a debate on SIR he had refused, saying SIR was the prerogative of the Election Commission,” Ramesh said.
“If the Home Minister is serious about a Special Session on vote chori, he should first secure the resignation of his hatchet man CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He should also suspend SIR,” he added.
The Congress has repeatedly questioned the conduct and implications of the SIR exercise, arguing that the revision of electoral rolls could affect eligible voters. The Election Commission, which is constitutionally responsible for preparing and revising electoral rolls, has defended its authority to conduct the exercise.
Ramesh’s latest remarks made the CEC’s position a central condition in the party’s response to Shah’s challenge.
Congress raises questions over delimitation Bills
Apart from the SIR controversy, Ramesh raised concerns about the government’s possible plans to introduce delimitation legislation.
He said 82 days had passed since the Monsoon Session of Parliament ended, but the session had still not been formally closed. He alleged that this was because the Home Minister was considering convening a special session to pass delimitation Bills with what he described as a “super-tainted two-thirds majority” in the Lok Sabha.
Ramesh said the contents of the proposed Bills were not yet known. He alleged that their purpose was to protect the BJP from a possible electoral setback in the 2029 general elections.
The Congress leader asked the government to share its delimitation proposals with Opposition parties well before any special session. He also questioned why Shah had not called an all-party meeting to discuss the proposals in detail.
Delimitation involves redrawing electoral constituencies and determining their boundaries. Any changes can have significant political implications because they influence how voters are grouped into parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
The Opposition’s demand for advance consultation reflects concerns that major changes to electoral representation should not be introduced without wider political discussion.
Amit Shah challenges Rahul Gandhi to debate SIR
The latest exchange followed Shah’s remarks at the BJP’s “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy” march on Monday.
Addressing the gathering, Shah dismissed the INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi on Sunday as a “save infiltrator” rally. He accused the Congress of raising concerns about SIR to protect alleged illegal immigrants whose names, he claimed, were present on electoral rolls.
Shah challenged Rahul Gandhi to participate in a parliamentary debate on the issue and said the government was ready to convene a special session.
“He (Rahul) holds the Constitution in hand, but doesn’t respect the Constitution. Rahul ji, you don’t allow Parliament to run. Be it EVMs, SIR, infiltrators, I challenge you from Hyderabad. We are ready to convene a special session of Parliament. Come for debate,” Shah said.
He also questioned the Congress’s allegations about electronic voting machines (EVMs), asking how the party had formed governments in states such as Telangana if the machines were faulty.
Shah further said Gandhi could become prime minister only in a mock Parliament, taking another swipe at the Congress leader’s political ambitions.
Shah accuses Congress of protecting infiltrators
The Home Minister also alleged that the Congress was attempting to obstruct the SIR exercise to protect what he described as infiltrators from Bangladesh whose names were allegedly included in electoral rolls.
Shah said the BJP was committed to removing every infiltrator from the voter lists. His remarks placed the issue of illegal immigration at the centre of the BJP’s defence of the electoral-roll revision process.
The Congress, meanwhile, has questioned the manner in which the exercise is being conducted and has demanded greater scrutiny of the Election Commission’s actions.
The dispute reflects a wider political disagreement over the role of electoral authorities, the verification of voter eligibility and the safeguards needed to ensure that eligible citizens are not wrongly excluded from electoral rolls.
Shah’s offer of a special session was presented as an opportunity for the Opposition to debate the allegations in Parliament. The Congress’s response, however, made clear that it wanted institutional and procedural steps before agreeing to such a discussion.
SIR debate becomes part of a wider political confrontation
The exchange has expanded beyond the immediate question of revising electoral rolls. The Congress has linked the controversy to the independence of the Election Commission and the need for transparency in the proposed delimitation process.
The BJP, on the other hand, has accused the Opposition of obstructing the removal of ineligible names from voter lists and using the SIR issue for political mobilisation.
With the 2029 general elections approaching in the wider political conversation, delimitation and electoral-roll revision are likely to remain contentious subjects between the ruling party and the Opposition.
For now, no agreement has emerged on the conditions for a special parliamentary session. The Congress wants the CEC’s resignation, suspension of SIR and advance disclosure of delimitation proposals, while Shah has challenged Rahul Gandhi to debate the issues in Parliament.
The confrontation leaves the government and Opposition at odds over not only the proposed debate but also the institutions and procedures governing India’s electoral process.