SIR row: Amit Shah says 'Congress losing since decades'; Oppn party flags ‘heights of irony’ | India News

Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday hit out at Rahul Gandhi, who has been spearheading protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and alleging irregularities with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Shah sang praises of the BJP's poll wins in different states and claimed that the Congress has been losing for decades but blames the SIR, which only began after 2024.He also challenged the Congress for the 2029 Lok Sabha battle, and asked the party to be ready for a “crushing defeat”. The party was quick to hit back, calling it “heights of irony” that the home minister was boasting of BJP's election wins amid questions over the electoral system. Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress has consistently lost elections ever since he assumed a key role. “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 said in a press conference. Follow live updates on Delhi protests here.His remarks came following the BJP's victory in Gujarat's civic body polls. The party won 38 of the 44 seats in the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) and secured majorities in the Thara and Okha municipalities.Amit Shah urges Rahul Gandhi to introspect The union home minister listed Congress' poll losses over the years, saying the party has failed to win elections in states like West Bengal, Tripura, and Gujarat for “decades”, and also called for Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to introspect.“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. I want to ask Shri Rahul Gandhi directly: is this the result of the SIR? The SIR only came into effect after 2024,” Shah said. Further mounting his attack on the Congress MP, Amit Shah said that the party has lost elections ever since Gandhi became its principal leader and subsequently the LoP.He also said that the BJP saw a big victory in bypolls to three states - West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.“In Naogaon, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate won by a margin of 1,42,000 votes; the BJP wrested this seat from the Congress party. In Nandigram, the BJP candidate won with 76% of the vote, securing a massive lead of 1,22,000 votes. In Rejinagar, West Bengal, the BJP won by over 75,000 votes—snatching the seat from the Trinamool—while in Puducherry, the NDA candidate from ally AINRC won by 8,482 votes; the Congress secured only 22% of the votes,” Shah said.Also Read: Centre flags Congress' ties with ex-CECs: ‘Fielded one against Advani, made another minister’Congress hits backCongress MP KC Venugopal countered Amit Shah's criticism and 2029 challenge to the party. Reacting to his remarks, Venugopal said in an X post: “Heights of irony that Vote Chor Amit Shah is celebrating an election victory - when the whole problem is how they are destroying our electoral system. Amit Shah is already speaking about 2029, clearly he also knows that Modi’s position is unstable.”The Congress MP also commented on Shah's body language during the media interaction. “His face was totally shaken. Mr. Shah, you should certainly be worried about surviving in office till 2029,” he wrote. Rahul Gandhi vows to continue anti-CEC stirAmit Shah's remarks came shortly after Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs held a joint presser against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the BJP, vowing to continue their fight for "restoration of the democratic process" in the country."No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people's resistance will continue and it will triumph," said Gandhi, who has been seeking Kumar's resignation as CEC over alleged SIR irregularities.Also Read: Who is Neha Bora? AISA president at centre of anti-CEC, SIR protests breaking internetAISA chief Neha Bora was also part of the presser. She claimed that the BJP “can compromise on democracy and the Constitution” because they never had a role in making India's democracy.