Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused Rahul Gandhi of circulating cropped and out-of-context videos of Amit Shah to suggest contradictions in the BJP’s position on discussing the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Parliament.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, November 7, 2026: A political dispute over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls intensified on Saturday after Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of selectively editing remarks by Home Minister Amit Shah to portray the government as divided over the contentious exercise.
The exchange followed Gandhi’s publication of two video clips of Shah on X, which he said exposed a contradiction in the BJP’s position on discussing SIR in Parliament. Gandhi suggested that the ruling party had become confused after Shah appeared to rule out a parliamentary discussion on the subject in an earlier statement but subsequently offered to convene a special session to debate it.
In the first clip, from December 5 last year, Shah is heard saying: “It is my firm view that SIR cannot be discussed in this House; if a discussion were to take place and certain questions were raised, who would provide the answers?”
In the second clip, recorded on Thursday, Shah says: “You challenge Modi to a discussion — well, Rahul-ji, there is no need for Modi ji, we are prepared to call a special session of the House for a discussion on SIR.”
Gandhi posted the two excerpts together, suggesting that the contrasting statements reflected confusion within the BJP over how to defend the electoral roll revision exercise.
Joshi Accuses Gandhi of Selective Editing
Joshi rejected Gandhi’s interpretation, accusing him of circulating a “cropped, out-of-context” video and demonstrating an “absolute lack of homework on SIR”.
The minister argued that Shah’s December remarks had been misrepresented because Gandhi had omitted the portion explaining why the government did not consider a direct parliamentary discussion on SIR appropriate.
Joshi shared the fuller version of Shah’s statement, in which the Home Minister said: “It is my firm view that SIR cannot be discussed in this House as SIR was being done by the Election Commission of India. The Election Commission of India and the Chief Election Commissioner do not work under the government. If a discussion were to take place and certain questions were raised, who would provide the answers?”
अमित शाह जी, मोदी जी को कन्फ़्यूज़ मत कीजिए।
बस उन्हें मेरे साथ खुली बहस के लिए मना लीजिए। कोई भी मंच, कोई भी समय।
डरो मत। https://t.co/TciYEtNBIt
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 6, 2026
Shah had then explained that the government had agreed to a discussion on electoral reforms, adding: “When they said they were ready to discuss electoral reforms, we immediately agreed, and today, the discussion is indeed focused on electoral reforms.”
According to Joshi, Shah was drawing a distinction between discussing electoral reforms, which the government had agreed to, and directly debating an ongoing SIR exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI), an independent constitutional authority.
The minister maintained that there was no contradiction between Shah’s earlier position and his subsequent offer to hold a special parliamentary session on SIR.
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Joshi Challenges Gandhi to Accept Special Session
Joshi also seized on Shah’s latest offer, challenging Gandhi to accept the proposal for a special session of Parliament to discuss SIR.
He said the government was prepared to debate the issue and accused the Congress leader of using selective video clips to manufacture a political controversy rather than engaging with the full context of Shah’s statements.
Turning the argument towards the Congress’s electoral record, Joshi pointed out that the party had lost the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections even though no SIR exercise was underway during those elections.
“Rahul ji, the confusion is clearly yours, not ours! When you win elections, the electoral process is acceptable; when you lose, the same process suddenly becomes questionable,” Joshi said.
He urged Gandhi to abandon what he described as “political theatrics” and take up the issue in Parliament with facts and evidence.
The latest exchange comes amid continuing opposition criticism of the Election Commission’s SIR exercise, which has triggered political disputes over voter deletions, eligibility checks and the transparency of electoral rolls. The Congress and other opposition parties have raised concerns about the potential exclusion of eligible voters, while the government has defended the exercise as part of the process of maintaining accurate electoral rolls.
At the centre of the latest confrontation is not merely whether Parliament should discuss SIR, but also the distinction between scrutinising the Election Commission’s exercise and debating broader electoral reforms. The two sides remain sharply divided over the issue.
