New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the BJP is not afraid of discussions on electoral reforms, alleging that the opposition has been spreading “lies” about the SIR to mislead the public. Speaking in Parliament, Shah said the opposition avoided a substantial debate on electoral reforms and instead focused almost entirely on the SIR.
He added that the SIR had been implemented three times during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure and once each under Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but no political party objected then.
A sharp verbal exchange took place between Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi during the session.
Rahul said, “Shah ji, I challenge you. You discuss all three of my press conferences on vote theft. Shah ji’s response is completely panicked. It’s a scary response.”
Shah replied that he would not be drawn into provocation. “I will decide how to respond. I will give all the answers. I will decide the order of my speech, not the Leader of the Opposition. I will not come on their instigation. I will speak on the subject,” Shah said, adding that the government had never accused the Leader of the Opposition of lying.
