Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday defended the government’s ongoing revision of electoral rolls, calling the exercise essential for maintaining the integrity of India’s democracy. Speaking to Aaj Tak’s Anjana Om Kashyap, Shah said the Special Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) aims to remove ineligible voters, including infiltrators, deceased persons, and those who have migrated.
Responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s criticism, Shah said the process was not new and had been part of India’s electoral mechanism since 1953. “This isn’t the first time SIR is happening. It was done during the times of Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi as well. Maybe nobody tells Rahul ji this truth. SIR is the purification of the voters’ list. When years pass, many people die, some migrate, but their names remain. Shouldn’t the voters’ list be cleaned?” Shah questioned.
Shah: “INDIA Bloc Protesting to Protect Vote Bank”
Accusing opposition parties of opposing the cleanup for political reasons, Shah alleged that the INDIA bloc was worried about losing its “vote bank” in border regions, where names of foreign infiltrators had been added to the voter list.
“They are protesting because after 2003, many foreign nationals managed to fraudulently get their names into the voters’ list. My question is simple should individuals from Bangladesh or any other country, who are not Indian citizens, have voting rights?” he said.
Referring to constitutional provisions, Shah affirmed that only Indian citizens aged 18 and above can vote, and it is the Election Commission’s duty to ensure the voter rolls meet these criteria. “The INDIA bloc knows that several infiltrators are being removed during this purification process, and their vote bank is being disrupted. Their campaign is nothing but fear of losing.”
“Infiltrators Have No Religion”
The Home Minister strongly rejected attempts to link religion with the removal of infiltrators from electoral rolls. “If someone is an infiltrator, should we keep them on the list just because they are Muslim? Let Rahul ji say if their policy is to let infiltrators vote based on religion. There can be no greater sin than mixing religion with national integrity. Infiltrators have no religion,” Shah said.
“Detect, Delete, Deport” Policy
When asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s warning against the SIR process in the state, Shah responded that similar fears were voiced earlier in Bihar but the democratic process went on. “The election will take place in Bengal too,” he said.
Reiterating the government’s stance, Shah underlined the BJP’s clear policy on illegal infiltration: “Detect, delete, deport. First, we will identify them, then remove them from the voter list, and finally deport them. There should be no confusion about our party’s agenda,” he asserted.