NEW DELHI, October 31 (Aalimi Nation) – Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that he is ready to call a special session of Parliament to debate the opposition's allegations of "vote chori", or vote theft, while predicting that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would not accept the offer.
Shah was addressing a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh working committee in Lucknow. "I am ready to call a special session of Parliament to discuss vote chori," he said, adding: "But Rahul baba will never agree. He will never discuss the issue in Parliament but will create a nuisance on the street."
The challenge
Shah dared Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav to bring all their allegations against the Election Commission to the floor of the House. He called the allegations baseless and accused the opposition of preferring protests to debate. "After losing the match, they are blaming the umpire and alleging vote theft," he said.
Reports differed slightly in how they described the remarks. Most treated them as a conditional offer rather than a formal decision to summon Parliament, since Shah linked it to the opposition's willingness to take part. No notice of a special sitting has been issued.
The dispute over electoral rolls
The opposition's complaints centre on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which Congress and several allied parties say has been carried out in a way that benefits the BJP. They have demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar resign. The Election Commission has defended the exercise, and the BJP has rejected the charge.
The INDIA bloc had planned a symbolic "public impeachment" of the Chief Election Commissioner on Friday. It was postponed to Saturday, October 31, because of rain, Gandhi said, with a start time of 4 pm. The event is not a formal parliamentary process. Under the Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity, through a resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament by a special majority. Opposition leaders have acknowledged that they do not have the numbers for such a motion.
The Congress has said it was refused permission to hold the event at some other venues it approached. The bloc has also announced a larger rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1.
BJP spokespersons have described the postponement as a sign of weak unity within the opposition, and one party MP called the programme an expression of frustration. Separately, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal criticised a "mock Parliament" held in Delhi by a citizens' group on Friday, saying the government had itself belittled Parliament. The BJP's reaction to that charge was not immediately available.
Whether Gandhi responds to Shah's offer at Saturday's event is likely to decide if the proposal goes any further. Since the Monsoon session has not been formally ended, a special sitting would be procedurally possible, according to reports, but it would require a decision by the government. Neither side has yet said what the agenda or timing of such a session could be.
