Amit Shah Hits Back at Rahul Gandhi Over CEC Row, CCTV Claims: ‘You Can’t Inject Sense’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday delivered a detailed rebuttal to Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations concerning the Election Commission.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and accusations of “vote chori”. Responding in the Lok Sabha, Shah defended the government’s electoral reforms and dismissed the Congress leader’s claims as misleading.

Shah said that for over seven decades, there was no formal law governing the appointment of Election Commissioners. “For 73 years, the Prime Minister directly selected the Election Commissioner,” he said. “From 1950 to 1989, the EC was a one-person body. The PM sent the file to the President, and it was approved. That was considered perfectly fine then.”

He noted that the EC became a multi-member panel between 1989 and 1991, but insisted that it was the 2023 law introduced by the current government that brought transparency. “We made a system where the Prime Minister, a minister chosen by him, and the Leader of the Opposition select the Election Commissioner. We brought openness to the process,” Shah said.

‘Sense Can’t Be Injected’

Countering Rahul Gandhi’s claims about CCTV footage from polling booths, Shah explained that CCTV recordings are meant purely for internal management and are not admissible legal documents. “This is a simple thing… they don’t understand… sense can’t be injected,” he remarked. He added that footage is deleted after 45 days as per rules and questioned why the Opposition never seeks it within that timeframe.

Shah also accused the Congress of raising doubts about EVMs only when it loses elections. “They stopped complaining in 2004 and 2009 because they won. After 2014, when they lost, the objections returned. Chunav main chori bandh hui hai, isiliye pet mein dard ho raha hai,” he said.

‘No Suggestions From Congress Since 2014’

The Home Minister said he had checked with the Election Commission on Wednesday about suggestions submitted by political parties for electoral reforms since May 2014. “The Congress has not submitted even one suggestion in ten years,” he said, arguing that the Opposition preferred spreading “lies” about EVMs at press conferences instead of engaging with the EC through formal channels.

He questioned why the Opposition did not participate in the EC’s EVM hackathon and why it had never approached the courts with its allegations of rigging.

Rahul Gandhi Responds

Speaking to the media later, Rahul Gandhi said Shah had avoided answering the key questions raised by the Opposition. “It was a completely defensive response,” Gandhi said. He argued that the government had ignored demands for a transparent voter list, the disclosure of EVM architecture, and clarity on allegations of BJP leaders voting in Haryana and Bihar.

“He did not say anything about the CJI’s role or about the immunity given to the Election Commissioner,” Gandhi added, asserting that the Opposition would continue to raise concerns. “We are not scared.”