Detect, delete and deport: Amit Shah replies to Opposition on SIR debate as Congress stages walkout

Speaking on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated, "On November 5, 2025, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi made a sensational claim at a press conference, alleging that 501 votes were cast from a single house in Haryana. The Election Commission promptly clarified the matter, confirming that neither the house nor the voters involved were fake."

Speaking in the Lok Sabha about the State Information Report (SIR), Union Home Minister Amit Shah questioned the integrity of democracy if infiltrators influence the appointment of the Prime Minister or Chief Ministers. He described SIR as a necessary process to cleanse the voter lists. Shah acknowledged that this reform challenges the interests of certain political parties reliant on infiltrator votes, expressing sympathy for them while emphasizing that genuine voters support a clean electoral process.

Home Minister Amit Shah clarified in the Lok Sabha that although an impression arose that the government was reluctant to debate, the BJP-led NDA has always been open to discussions and never avoids parliamentary debates.

Speaking on electoral reforms, in Lok Sabha, Union HM Amit Shah said, "For four months, one-sided lies were spread about SIR. Attempts were made to mislead the people of the country."

Speaking in the Lok Sabha on electoral reforms, Union Home Minister Amit Shah explained the initial delay in discussions, saying that for two days, the government asked the Opposition to postpone the debate until after two sessions, but they did not agree. The government initially refused for two reasons: the Opposition insisted on discussing the State Information Report (SIR), which Shah emphasized is the Election Commission's responsibility and not under government jurisdiction. Since the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner operate independently, discussing SIR in Parliament would raise questions no one could answer. Once the Opposition agreed to focus solely on electoral reforms, the government immediately consented to the discussion. Shah acknowledged that the early deadlock created a misleading impression that the government was avoiding debate. He stressed that Parliament is the nation’s ultimate forum for discussion, and that BJP-NDA never shies away from dialogue on any topic, always respecting parliamentary procedures.

Addressing the discussion on election reforms in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah said, "There was a deadlock for two days at the beginning of the session. This created a wrong perception among the public." He emphasized the need for clear communication and cooperation to ensure smooth progress on crucial legislative matters.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad took aim at the Opposition, accusing them of only praising the Election Commission when results are in their favour and attacking it when they lose.Responding to Congress MP K Venugopal and other Opposition leaders during the Lok Sabha discussion on electoral reforms, Prasad said the Opposition's shifting stance on the EC revealed a clear contradiction."Will the Election Commission be considered fair only when they win? Was it not the same EC when their governments were formed in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana? Did Akhilesh Yadav's party not win more MPs than us in Uttar Pradesh in 2024? When they win, the EC is fair; when we win, the EC is flawed. What logic is this?" asked the BJP MP as he came down heavily on the opposition."I heard the speeches of Venugopal ji and other Opposition members. One thing that stays with me is this, What is the reason behind this bitterness? Why this pain, this anguish?" Prasad said.

DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said,"Most of the parties in the opposition have come together and moved this motion, of course led by the DMK. This is, like what the opposition parties and particularly the BJP would like to say, not about any one single incident or against any people or anything like that. It is one particular judge who has acted against the Constitution and acted against the secular credentials which are enshrined in our Constitution, and has failed the people of this country. We have also seen that he is openly biased, openly taking certain ideologies, supporting certain ideologies, and judgments being partial and more towards certain lawyers. So this is not about one incident; it is about what has happened over a period of many years. All this is what has prompted us to bring this motion."

Opposition parties led by the Congress on Wednesday (December 10) staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha after a BJP MP withdrew, without explanation, a question he had posed to Home Minister Amit Shah on enhancing forensic capabilities in the country. BJP MP Adiya Prasad had put a question to the Home Minister, which was admitted as a Starred Question, which requires ministers to give an answer orally and allows immediate follow-up (supplementary) questions. According to the Question List available on the Rajya Sabha website, Prasad's question was No.2 in the sequence for the Question Hour on Wednesday. However, a correction note said the question may be treated as "withdrawn".

Parliament winter session LIVE: While addressing in Lok Sabha during the SIR debate, actor turned politican Kangana Ranaut said, "PM Modi does not hack EVMs, he hacks hearts." 

Parliament winter session LIVE: BJP MP Kangana Ranaut while speaking in Lok Sabha during the SIR debate came down heavily on the Opposition saying, "They did not let the house work and resorted to all kinds of tricks." 

Parliament winter session LIVE: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranut is speaking in Lok Sabha. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: During electoral reforms debate in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad says, "Rahul Gandhi's family has a history of blaming Sangh, there is need for serious introspection."

Parliament winter session LIVE: The Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi's meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the selection of Chief Information Officer (CIC) and Chief Vigilance Officer (CVC) is underway. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2 pm. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the opposition for their criticism of the Election Commission, questioning their inconsistent stance. He said, "When they win, the Election Commission is fine, but when we win, they claim it's flawed. What kind of logic is this?" Prasad accused the opposition of double standards, pointing out that they only raise doubts about the credibility of the Election Commission when the results do not go in their favour. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday hit out at Congress leader KC Venugopal, saying there is a lot of "bitterness" in his speech. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: While speaking in Lok Sabha on 'electoral reforms', Congress' KC Venugopal said that the "law minister did lot of tamasha but failed to answer Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's questions."

Parliament winter session LIVE: As discussion on 'election reforms' began in Lok Sabha, Congress leader KC Venugopal said, "Vote chori is anti-national." 

Parliament winter session LIVE: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday resumed the discussion on "Election Reforms.” 

Parliament winter session LIVE: Railway Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative to overhaul railway stations across India, emphasising the significance of the "Amrit Bharat Yojna." He described it as the largest program in the world aimed at the redevelopment of stations. "Just as the Prime Minister took the lead in revitalising stations, the Amrit Bharat Yojna has been established, which today stands as the largest program of its kind globally," Vaishnaw said. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: The Rajya Sabha commenced its Question Hour today. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: On LoP Rahul Gandhi's speech on electoral reform in Lok Sabha yesterday, Union Minister S.P. Singh Baghel says, "Yesterday, we heard the Leader of the Opposition speaking on SIR in the House... but he appeared confused. I had hoped that since he has experience of both winning and losing, he would share his experience as the Leader of the Opposition on electoral reforms, which would be in the interest of democracy, elections, and the public, but nothing like that happened..."

A group of Haryana MLAs, accompanied by Haryana Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, arrived at Parliament today to witness the ongoing proceedings of the House.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday launched an attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spending most of his time abroad during parliamentary sessions. Joshi said, “Rahul Gandhi always spends most of his time abroad whenever Parliament is in session and later says that he doesn't get a chance to speak. Even during the Bihar elections, he was abroad. He is part-time, not a serious political leader.” Joshi further questioned Gandhi’s accountability, pointing out what he sees as a pattern of selective blame. “I want to ask him, what did you say when you won in Karnataka? When the INDIA alliance won in Jharkhand, when you won in Telangana, what did you say? But when you lose, you blame the EVM, the Election Commission... They want to say that when there is a win, it's because of them, but when they lose, it's because of the system,” Joshi added. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: Leader of Oppostion Rahul Gandhi will fly to Germany mid the Winter Session of Parliament. The BJP has come down heavily on the leader by calling him "Videsh Nayak". 

Parliament winter session LIVE: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will likely initiate the discussion on SIR. This comes as demand for SIR debate by Opposition grows. 

Parliament winter session LIVE: During a heated debate on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament on Tuesday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the RSS and the ruling establishment, accusing them of rejecting the principle of equality. Speaking in the House, the Leader of Opposition alleged that the government does not believe in equal rights, but instead supports a hierarchical system that places those in power above others. "They do not believe in equality... They believe in hierarchy and believe they should be on top of that," Gandhi said.