Can Democracy Be Safe When PM, CM Decided by 'Ghuspetiye': Shah Slams Opposition for SIR Criticism

PTI, NEW DELHI, DEC 10, 2025 : Home Minister Amit Shah, in a fierce rebuttal to the Opposition's criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asked if democracy could be safe when the Prime Minister and Chief Minister are "decided by 'ghuspetiye' (infiltrators)." Shah's remarks were made during a debate on election reforms in the Lok Sabha, where he accused the opposition of spreading falsehoods regarding the SIR.

Shah stated that the opposition was angry about historical discussions but stressed the importance of learning from history. He highlighted that the SIR process has been conducted several times since 1952, during different government tenures, including those of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh. He pointed out that no party had opposed the process, which aims to keep elections clean and democracy healthy.

The objective of the SIR, Shah said, is to remove the names of deceased individuals, add those who have turned 18, and remove foreign nationals. "Can a country's democracy be safe when the Prime Minister and Chief Minister are decided by 'ghuspetiye'?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, in a fiery exchange with Shah, challenged him to debate on his three press conferences in which Gandhi alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) by the BJP in collusion with the Election Commission. Gandhi raised concerns about the decision to grant full immunity to Election Commissioners, suggesting it was a significant move for transparency in the electoral process.

Shah responded by dismissing the challenge, stating that he would not tailor his speech to the opposition's demands, and refuted Gandhi’s allegations. As the debate escalated, both sides exchanged barbed remarks.