New Delhi [India], October 13 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress party, rejecting allegations that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are behind the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) electoral dominance and dismissing the Opposition’s 'SIR' narrative as a diversion from their own consistent failures.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital here, the Home Minister asserted that the recent local body elections, conducted entirely through ballot papers, have put the Opposition's recurring claims about technological manipulation to rest.
"To those who cite ballot machines as the reason for the results, I would like to point out that these elections were conducted using ballot papers; this fact completely refutes the argument that ballot machines are what help the BJP win elections," Shah asserted.
Refuting the opposition's narrative of electoral manipulation, Shah highlighted the long-standing electoral drought faced by the Congress in several states.
"For 33 years, no Congress Chief Minister has won in Tripura. In Bengal, the Congress party has not achieved a victory for 54 years. In states like Bengal, Tripura, and Gujarat, the Congress party has faced defeat for three, four, or even five decades," the Home Minister added.
Directing his remarks at the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Shah questioned the validity of the Congress leader's arguments regarding the 'SIR'.
"I want to ask Rahul Gandhi directly: is this the result of the SIR? The SIR only came into effect after 2024. Ever since you emerged as the principal leader of the Congress, and subsequently as its President and the Leader of the Opposition, the party has consistently lost elections," Shah stated.
The Home Minister's remarks come as part of a sharp escalation in the political war of words, with the BJP highlighting its recent electoral gains to counter opposition claims of institutional subversion.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) "resounding victory" in the Gujarat local body elections, pointing to the opposition’s prolonged electoral drought in the state.
Addressing the media in the national capital, the Home Minister asserted that the recent poll results, in which the BJP secured 90 out of 104 seats across three municipalities and municipal corporations, reflect the unwavering trust the people of Gujarat have in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Taking direct aim at the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the Home Minister questioned the Congress party’s relevance in the state’s electoral politics.
"I want to make this point clear, and specifically convey it to Rahul ji, that the Congress party has not won a single election in 41 years. The last election they won was back in 1985; since then, they have faced continuous defeats in Gujarat," Shah stated.