New Delhi [India], December 10 : Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday hailed Home Minister Amit Shah's speech during the discussion on the electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, asserting that Shah has completely exposed the opposition's baseless allegations and constant attempts to question the Election Commission.
Speaking to the media after the adjournment of the Lok Sabha, Goyal claimed that the opposition MPs staged a walkout after Amit Shah invoked the issue of infiltrators, which demonstrates that they "stand with the infiltrators."
"Today, the Home Minister completely proved the opposition's false allegations baseless by exposing their constant attempts to question the Election Commission, threaten it, and obstruct its work. Most importantly, the opposition also revealed its true face to the public in Parliament. When the Home Minister stated that there is no place for infiltrators in this country, and that if Congress, TMC, or Samajwadi Party try to win based on infiltrators' votes, or fake votes, the people of India will never forgive them. The opposition staged a walkout today on this issue. This clearly demonstrates that the opposition stands with the infiltrators. The opposition sympathises with the infiltrators," the Union Minister said.
Goyal stressed that through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), fake votes are being eliminated and the voter list is being made transparent.
"Fake votes are being eliminated through SIR. The list is being made transparent and clean, ensuring honesty. Fair electoral rolls are being ensured, and infiltrators are being expelled. The opposition staged a walkout in protest. Today, they exposed their true colours to the nation. The Home Minister was right when he said that the way the opposition is acting, the way the Congress and its allies--TMC, Samajwadi Party, and DMK--walk out over infiltrator votes, shows that they lack public support. They lack public support and popularity, but they enjoy support among infiltrators, and they cannot benefit this country by winning elections through infiltration. The people of Bihar have proven this to be true," Piyush Goyal said.
In contrast, Congress MP Deepender Hooda said that the Home Minister has no answer to the opposition's questions about the Election Commission.
Hooda said, "Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not speak about the 3-4 demands put up by the opposition. He only said what CEC Gyanesh Kumar had already said. They do not have any answer to the questions raised on the Election Commission."
Opposition MPs on Wednesday staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha during Union Home Minister Amit Shah's reply to the discussion on electoral reforms.
After their walkout, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a jibe at the opposition, saying that they didn't walk out when he levelled allegations against former Prime Ministers Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, but walked out "on the issue of infiltrators".
"They can boycott 200 times, not even one infiltrator will be allowed to vote in this country...I was speaking about pushing infiltrators out of the country. I levelled numerous allegations against Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, his father (Rajeev Gandhi), and Sonia ji; had they walked out at that time, it would have been logical. They walked out over infiltrators," Shah said.
"Our policy is 'detect, delete and deport'. Their policy is 'normalise infiltration, grant them recognition, include them in the vote list during the election and formalise this..." he added.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned until 11 am on December 11 (Thursday) after Shah's speech.